Kerala's Idukki dam nears full capacity

As concerns remained over security in vulnerable areas around the Idukki dam, which has touched 90 per cent storage capacity, a high-level team of state government officials have decided against opening the dam’s sluice gates.

A meeting of department secretaries on Thursday chaired by Chief Secretary E K Bharat Bushan decided that the situation did not call for opening of sluice gates.

The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) has been asked to increase generation of hydro-electric power from the reservoir to keep water levels on check.

Water level at Idukki on Wednesday reached 2,394 feet, with the dam generating 14.58 million units (mu) against the daily average of 8.54 mu.

Indeed, power generation has touched all-time high in Kerala as the State Load Despatch Centre reported generation of 38.25 mu of power on Wednesday from its 16 reservoirs and smaller hydel projects. Storage levels in the state’s reservoirs stand at 92 per cent of their total capacity.

Meanwhile, water level at the Mullaperiyar dam has touched 135.4 feet, and is fast approaching the permissible level of 136 feet.

At full storage, water will flow through spillways into the Idukki reservoir.

Officials deferred the call to open the dam’s shutters with the hope that increased hydel power generation and weakening spells (Idukki received only 5 cm rain on Thursday) would bring the water levels down below dangerous levels.

Opening the dam’s shutters would swell the river and cause misery for thousands of people.

Flood situation grim in UP, toll 193

With rain lashing Uttar Pradesh and the rivers in spate, the flood situation in the state remains grim as the toll in the flood and rain-related incidents in the state rose with the death of five more people in the past 24-hours, reports DHNS from Lucknow.

According to the official sources here, several parts of the state experienced moderate to heavy rain in the past 48-hours in the eastern part of the state. The toll in rain-related incidents is now 193. More rain is expected in the next 24 hours.