CHERUTHONI, IDUKKI: Confusion prevails in Idukki town and neighboring areas following reports and rumours of a likely decision of a trial run in a couple of days. Even the district administration is awaiting a cabinet decision in this regard with officials of dam safety and revenue in deep discussion on what should be done.“The dam safety wing is closely monitoring the situation of the dam. The government and dam safety wing have directed the Idukki district collector to issue details and messages to public to avoid confusion,” KSEB chief engineer (Dam Safety) Bibin Joseph told TOI.The water level in the Idukki reservoir slowly rose to 2395.88 ft at 10.00am on Wednesday morning in the catchment area. When compared to the same day last year, the increase has been by 75.14 ft. It was 2320.70 on the same day in 2017.While it didn't rain much in the night, there have been steady showers in the morning. The rainfall recorded in the area is about 15 mm.The officials said that the storage in the catchment is at 91.68 percent accounting for 66,209.29 million cubic ft of water.The power generation has been at 15.102 million units at Moolamattom on Tuesday.The water level in Mullaperiyar dam lake has come down is at 135.40 ft.Idukki district collector Jeevan Babu K said the district administration is ready to handle the situation to open the shutters of the dam. Speaking at the high-level review meeting at Idukki collectorate on Tuesday, the collector said that warning notices have been issued to people in five panchayats in the water flow ways.Meanwhile, orange alert has been issued in Idamalyar dam on Wednesday after the water levels reached 167.03 m. The maximum storage capacity of Idamalayar dam is 169 m.Heavy rains in the state have led to 78 dams about to reach their maximum storage capacity soon.<doc-sep>The government machinery in Kerala continued to be on alert with the water level in the Idukki dam inching towards the maximum, even as rain lashed many parts of the state, claiming two lives on Tuesday. A 74-year-old man was electrocuted when he came in contact with a live wire this morning, while another man died in Malappuram district, the state control room, monitoring the monsoon-related incidents, said. With these two deaths, the total number of those killed in monsoon-related incidents over the past two months has gone up to 141. The water level in the high range Idukki reservoir, where an 'orange alert' was issued last night, touched 2395.58 feet by 6.00 PM on Tuesday, according to the Kerala state Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA). The 'orange alert' was sounded after the water level in the dam touched 2,395 feet, which is prior to the 'red alert' that will be issued when it reaches 2,399 feet. The full level of the dam is 2,404 feet. The water level is related to the Mean Sea Level and catchment area. Similarly, an 'orange alert' was issued at Kakki dam in Pathanamthitta, a central Kerala district, when its water level reached 980 meters on Tuesday, according to the Kerala State Electricity Board Limited (KSEB). The full reservoir level (FRL) of the dam is 981.46 meter, they said, adding that district authorities were asked to take all precautionary measures for the safety of people living downstream. With monsoon rain continuing and water levels rising, the shutters of three dams- Neyyar, Aruvikkara and Peppara- have been opened. Pothundi and Malampuzha dams in northern Palakkad are nearing full capacity. Sea erosion was reported in the coastal belts of Alappuzha, Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram and a number of people have been shifted to relief camps. Landslip was reported in Aralam in Kannur district and in Kozhikode. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan urged people to be cautious as heavy rains, accompanied by thunderstorms, have been predicted in the southern state. "The Meteorological Centre has predicted heavy rains in the state till August 2. People are requested to take caution as heavy rains will be accompanied by thunderstorms," the Chief Minister's Office said in a tweet. Quoting the weather report,the CMO also advised fishermen not to venture into the sea along and off the Kerala coast, over Lakshadweep area and Southwest, Central and North Arabian Sea. Revenue Minister E Chandrasekharan said that district authorities were all set to deal with any emergency in the wake of the increasing water level in Idukki reservoir. Detailing the steps taken by the government, he told reporters that advanced facilities have been put in place to gauge the water level. All revenue offices in Idukki, Ernakulam and Kottayam districts have been asked to be prepared to function 24x7, he said, adding that revenue personnel, who were on leave, have been asked to rejoin duty at the earliest. Water Resources Minister Mathew T Thomas said as of now there was no need to carry out a trial run of lifting shutters of the Idukki dam and releasing water. Stating that there was no need for people to panic as the water level was rising only by 0.02 feet an hour, he said if there was any need for a trial run, it would be done only during daytime after giving enough advance notice to locals. "The trial run will be carried out only if the water level rises," he said after taking stock of the preparation in Idukki. A holiday was declared for all educational institutions, except professional colleges, in the capital city today by the District Collector following heavy rains. Train services to and from Thiruvananthapuram Central Station were affected for some time in the morning due to water-logging. At present, 7,348 people are in 44 relief camps across the state, control room sources said. In Alappuzha district, 12 new relief camps were opened since last evening and 3,886 people living in the coastal areas, including Porakkad, have been shifted there. In Thrikkanad in northernmost Kasaragod district, 18 people near coastal areas have been moved to relief camps, they said. The Met Centre has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall in a few places in the state till August 2. Thunderstorms, accompanied by gusty winds, were likely to affect Kollam, Pathanamthitta and Idukki districts, it said.<doc-sep>
Orange alert for Kerala’s Idalamalayar dam, water level 2m short of full capacity The Idamalayar dam in Ernakulam district is a concrete gravity dam built on the Idamalayar river. news Dam opening An Orange alert has been issued in the Idamalayar dam in Kerala, with the water levels touching 167.05 metres, leaving less than two metres for the dam to reach full capacity. The alert was announced on Wednesday and it follows an Orange alert that was announced in the main Idukki dam in Periyar. Unlike other dams, the water level in the Idamalayar is measured in metres and not feet. Heavy rainfall in the state has been contributing to rising water level in the dam. Officials said that a Red or final alert will be announced when the water touches 168 metres. The Idamalayar dam in Ernakulam district is a concrete gravity dam built on the Idamalayar river, a tributary of the main Periyar river, near Ennakal in Boothathankettu in Kerala. Apart from Idamalayar, Orange alert has also been issued in the smaller Kakki dam in Pathanamthitta. Due to heavy rains in the state, 78 dams have nearly reached their maximum capacity. Out of these, shutters of 25 dams have already been opened, according to a Mathrubhumi report. Shutters of the Aruvikkara and Peppara dams were opened in Thiruvananthapuram and the Neyyar dam too was opened on Monday by the irrigation department, which controls it. The Malampuzha dam in Palakkad too has reached its full capacity and a final alert has been issued. The shutters of the dam will soon be opened, as per reports. As for the Idukki dam on the Periyar, the water levels as on Wednesday is 2395.88 feet with the dam reaching full capacity at 2403 feet. An orange alert was issued on Monday. However, State water resources minister Mathew T Thomas in a press meet on Tuesday said that there is no immediate possibility of opening shutters in a trial run as the water level rise has been slowing down considerably.