IDUKKI: Tamil Nadu on Friday opened 10 of the 13 spillway shutters of Mullaperiyar dam to release 1,876 cusecs of water from the dam, causing fear of flooding downstream areas like Vandiperiyar, and Chapatha areas in the Idukki district.
Speaking to the media persons here, Kerala minister for water resources Roshy Augustine said he had written a letter to the Tamil Nadu minister for water resources to take steps to regulate the water level in Mullaperiyar dam to avoid an abrupt release of water from the dam. The abrupt release of water would
create flooding downstream as high water levels persist in Periyar and other rivers, he said.
The shutters were lifted up in a phased manner to a height of 30 cm to ensure a controlled release of water into Periyar to prevent flooding. Three shutters - V1, V2, and V3- were lifted up at 1 pm to release 534 cusecs of water from the dam initially. However 3 more shutters – V7, V8, and V9- were lifted up at 3 pm
and the discharge was increased to 1125 cusecs. At 5 pm, the discharge was further increased to 1876 cusecs by opening 4 more shutters (V1, V6, V5, and V10).
The decision to release water from Mullaperiyar dam was taken after the water level in the dam reached the Upper Rule Curve Level of 137.5 ft against the permissible level of 142 ft on Friday at 7 am.
Tamil Nadu had issued the first warning to Kerala on Thursday when the water level in the dam crossed 136 ft due to heavy rainfall that has been lashing in the catchment areas of the dam for the past three days.
While the inflow of water into the dam on Friday was 7536 cusecs at 6 pm, the neighbouring state is withdrawing 2,166 cusecs of water from the dam. Since the water level in the Vaigai dam in Tamil Nadu, where the water from Mullaperiyar dam is stored, had neared full reservoir level, Tamil Nadu can withdraw water from Mullaperiyar only in a limited quantity.
Although Tamil Nadu had informed Kerala that at least 3 shutters of Mullaperiyar dam will be lifted up at 11.30 am on Friday to release 534 cusecs of water, the shutters were raised at 1 pm as there was a decline in the inflow of water into the dam due to low rainfall in the catchment areas.
“If the discharge of water from Mullaperiyar dam increases the water level in the Idukki reservoir, which is now at 2381. 28 ft against the full reservoir level of 2403 ft, an orange alert will be issued when the water level in the dam crosses 2381 ft,” he said.
The minister said however the decision to release water from the Idukki reservoir will be taken after considering the flood situation in Muvattupuzha and Aluva areas as the release of water from the dam may further worsen the flood situation prevailing in the downstream areas.
To coordinate flood relief activities, an NDRF team has been deployed in the Mullaperiyar area. The district administration has opened a 24-hour control room in the Manjumala village office.
As per the district administration authorities, the possibility of a flood-like situation happens in the downstream areas only if the total discharge of water from the Mullaperiyar dam comes to 6,000 cusecs. “However all necessary precautions have been taken under the leadership of various department officials
downstream,” an official said.