IDUKKI: One shutter of the Cheruthoni dam was opened on Sunday at 2 pm after heavy rains in the catchment of the Idukki reservoir took the water levels in the dam to a red alert level.
The third shutter of the dam was lifted to a height of 40 cm to release 40 - 50 cumecs of water from the dam. The decision to open the dam shutters was taken after the dam level neared the red alert level of 2399 ft against the full reservoir level of 2403 ft on Sunday.
"Water will be released only in the controlled amount and the amount of discharge will be increased only in a phased manner. Hence there is no need for panic in the downstream," an official concerning KSEB said. This is the second time that the Cheruthoni dam is being opened during this season.
Meanwhile, the district administration has also issued an alert to residents along the banks of the Periyar river after the Kerala government received an intimation from Tamil Nadu that it was getting ready to release water from the Mullaperiyar reservoir considering the high inflow caused by rain in the catchment area.
The water level in the Mullaperiyar had reached 140.10 ft against the permissible level of 142 ft on Sunday at 2 am.
While the inflow of water into the dam was 2862 cusecs, Tamil Nadu had been drawing only 900 cusecs of water as the water level in Vaigai dam, where Tamil Nadu stores the discharged water from Mullaperiyar dam, had neared its full capacity.
"The assistant engineer of the Public Works Department, Tamil Nadu has intimated that Tamil Nadu may release water to the Kerala side of the Periyar from the Mullaperiyar reservoir. Hence, those residing downstream of Mullaperiyar dam along the banks of Periyar needs to be vigilant," Idukki district collector Sheeba George said in an official press note issued here.
The shutters of the Cheruthoni and Mullaperiyar dams were last opened on October 19 and October 29 respectively. As the water level in Mullaperiyar had receded to 138.5 ft following the release of the surplus water, the shutters were closed on November 6.