IDUKKI: Power Minister MM Mani has said the current flood situation in Kerala doesn’t warrants opening the shutters of big dams like Idukki dam. “Only shutters of small dams have been opened. Big dams still have capacity to store water. I’m evaluating the situation in Idukki,” Mani said.

M M Mani said that the rescue operations are going on and roads in several places have been damaged. “People need not worry about the opening of dam shutters. A meeting of top officials of Electricity department has been called in the noon,” he said.

However, the minister added that water levels in dams are rising. “The shutter of Kakkayam dam has been raised by 3 feet; earlier the shutter was kept open at 45 cm. Panchayats have been given instruction to relocate people residing on river banks to safer places. Moozhiyar dam will be opened today and people have been alerted about this. In the State, 315 relief camps have been opened.”

“As of now, 23,000 affected people have reached relief camps. In Wayanad itself, there are 10000 people in the relief camp. Dams that were opened yesterday were Maniyar (Pathanamthitta), Kallarkutty, Kallarkutty, Pambla, Malankara, Kallar, Irattayar (Idukki), Malankara, Bhoothathan kettu, Peringalkoothu in Thrissur district, Kanjirampuzha, Mangalam, Kanjirampuzha in Palakkad and Kakkayam in Kozhikkode,” he said.