Heavy rainfall batters Kerala: Water level in dams near danger-mark

Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 14: Water level has reached the red alert level in various dams in Kerala due to the incessant rains caused minor landslips and disruption of train services in some parts in the state.

With water level in the Idukki reservoir, one of the highest arch dams in Asia, having risen to 2398.80 feet on Sunday, an Orange alert has been sounded. The full reservoir level of Idukki dam is 2,403 feet.

The heavy rains led to water level in various dams in the state rising to the red alert mark, prompting the government to open one of the shutters of Cheruthoni dam of Idukki reservoir in the afternoon.

The water level in various places along the Periyar was seen to be rising during the heavy rains in the morning, according to the state government.

The water level in the Mullaperiyar dam reached 140 feet, indicating the likelihood of its shutters being also opened if the water continues to raise.

As a result, people living on both sides of the Periyar should be extra vigilant as the shutters of the dam could be opened in the next 24 hours if water level rises further and there was a possibility that excess water would overflow, the Idukki district administration said earlier in the day.

The district administration of Pathanamthitta, which too received heavy rainfall, has advised extreme caution, especially by those living close to river banks or landslide prone areas.

Thunderstorms coupled with lightning are also very likely to occur at one or two places in the state till November 16, according to the IMD.

A Red alert indicates heavy to extremely heavy rains of over 20 cm in 24 hours, while Orange alert denotes very heavy rains from 6 cm to 20 cm of rains. A yellow alert means heavy rainfall between 6 to 11 cm.

with PTI inputs