Idukki near 'Blue Alert'; dams with rising water levels

IDUKKI: The water level in dams in Kerala is rising a month after the start of the monsoon. The water level in 12 of the 16 dams of the Electricity Board is above 50 percent, and in four of them above 90 percent. The shutters of seven dams have been opened. The water level in 18 of the twenty dams of the Irrigation Department is above 60 percent. The shutters of 12 dams have been opened.

The water level in the dams under the Electricity Board was 35 percent at the same time last year. The current water level in the Idukki Dam is 2364.22 feet, and the maximum storage capacity is 2403 feet. According to the current rule curve of the Central Water Commission, a blue alert will be announced if it rises by three feet. An orange alert will be issued if it reaches 2373.33 feet. A red alert will be issued if it reaches 2374.33 feet. The steps to open the dam will begin after that.

Three of the 13 spillway shutters opened in the Mullaperiyar dam have been closed with the introduction of the new rule curve. The current water level is 136.25 feet. The amount of water flowing into Periyar through the 10 open shutters has been reduced to 194.77 cubic feet per second. 1505.47 cubic feet of water is flowing into the dam per second. Tamil Nadu is taking 2117 cubic feet of water.

Electricity generation increased

KSEB has maximised electricity generation to avoid the situation of opening the dam due to rising water levels. A total of 44.23 million units are generated daily from the hydroelectric projects. 16.85 million units were generated yesterday from the Moolamattom Power House alone. This is a record production in recent times.