One shutter of the Cheruthoni dam in Idukki will be raised at 10 a.m. on Sunday to release excess water from the Idukki reservoir. The shutter will be raised 70 cm to discharge 50 cumecs, the Idukki district administration said.
The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB), which manages the Idukki reservoir, put the reservoir on red alert on Saturday morning after the water level crossed 2,382.53 ft. The level has been rising due to rainfall in the catchment area and the release of water from the Mullaperiyar dam situated upstream, the Water Resources department said.
People residing on the banks of the Periyar and Cheruthoni rivers have been advised to remain alert. The district administration and the District Disaster Management Authority have taken the necessary precautionary measures, Idukki District Collector Sheeba George said.
At 7 p.m. on Saturday, the water level in the reservoir stood at 2,383.30 ft, even as moderate rain was reported in the region. The live storage in the reservoir was at 1,130.8 mcm (77.48%), according to the data collected by the department.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) put Idukki district on yellow alert for isolated heavy rainfall till August 9.
Ten shutters of the Mullaperiyar dam are currently open for discharging excess water.
The water storage facility of the 780 MW Idukki hydroelectric project, the Idukki reservoir features three dams — the Idukki arch dam, the Kulamavu dam and the Cheruthoni dam, which features five shutters.
