Kerala: Shutters of Mullaperiyar dam to be opened due to heavy rain

The shutters of Mullaperiyar Dam will be opened tomorrow due to continuous rainfall in Idukki and adjoining areas of Tamil Nadu.

Idukki: The shutters of Mullaperiyar Dam will be opened tomorrow due to continuous rainfall in Idukki and adjoining areas of Tamil Nadu. The announcement is that the shutter will open tomorrow at 10 am. It is possible to release up to 10000 cubic feet of water per second. The officials have issued an alert along the Periyar coast.

The water level in the Mullaperiyar dam had risen to 136.50 feet this morning. The maximum storage capacity is 142 feet. In case of heavy rains, the water level rises to a large extent. Thus, it has been decided to open the Mullaperiyar Dam. The officials said that the people should be cautious.

Heavy rainfall battered southern Tamil Nadu late on Sunday and continued early on Monday as a red alert was sounded for four districts including Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, and Tenkasi. According to the meteorological office, a cyclonic circulation that reaches mid-tropospheric levels is presently over the Comorin region and surrounding areas.

Teams from the National and State Disaster Response Forces have also been dispatched by the Tamil Nadu government. Furthermore, plans have been prepared by the police and local government to help relocate residents from the flooded, vulnerable regions to relief shelters.

Meanwhile, State Disaster Management Minister KKSSR Ramachandran said that 19 camps had been established in the Tirunelveli district, four in the Kanyakumari district, two in Thoothukudi district, and one in Tenkasi district to house individuals who had been evacuated from regions that were deemed susceptible.