Shutters of the Idukki dam in Kerala were opened on Tuesday morning as water level kept on increasing, triggering an alert up to the suburbs of Kochi.
The state also continues to be on high alert as the IMD sounded orange alert in eleven of the 14 districts in the state for Wednesday and Thursday. Devotees who turned up at Sabarimala Ayyappa temple were also sent back.
The shutters of Idukki dam located at Cheruthoni town were opened for the first time after 2018 when it had opened after 26 years. The move was widely criticised then as it had resulted in flooding in the suburbs of Kochi, which is around 100 kilometres away, apart from causing massive destruction to Cheruthoni town. Poor dam management was alleged to be a reason that aggravated the 2018 floods.
This is why the dam, which is the tallest arch dam in the country, has been opened with utmost care and precaution this time.
A red alert was sounded by Monday evening and people along the banks of the river were shifted. Three shutters were lifted in a phased manner from 11 am. Around one lakh litre of water was being released per second. The water level of the dam reached 2,398 feet by Tuesday morning and the plan is to retain it at 2,395 feet as the IMD forecast another spell of rains from Wednesday.
A large number of people also thronged Cheruthoni to witness the water flow after the shutters were opened.
Earlier during the day, shutters of the Pamba and Idamalayar dams were also partially opened. The Kakki dam in Pathanamthitta district was partially opened on Monday morning leading to a slight increase in water level at Pamba in Sabarimala.
A large number of devotees who tuned up for darshan at Sabarimala Ayyappa temple were sent back from Nilackal base camp. The temple that was opened for the week-long monthly pooja will close by Thursday.
Meanwhile, many parts of Alappuzha and Pathanamthitta districts continue to be remain flooded.
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