Shutters of the Idamalayar dam in Kerala were opened at 5 am on Thursday morning. Reports state that heavy rains lashing the Ernakulam district forced authorities to advance the opening of the Idamalayar dam.
The dam gates had to be opened as the reservoir hit full capacity at 169 metres. Currently, three shutters of the dam have been opened to let water out.
The water discharge is at 600 cumecs currenly and the reservoir level is at 169.50 metres.This is .50 metres above the full reservoir level at 169 metres.
An aerial video of the dam shows the river gushing out of the sluice gates.
Warnings to those living on the banks of the Periyar have also been issued by the Kerala State Disaster Management Authorities (KSDMA).
The dam saw red alert on Wednesday as the water level reached 168.20 metres.
An orange alert had been issued earlier in the Idamalayar dam with the water levels touching 167.05 metres, leaving less than two metres for the dam to reach full capacity.
Unlike other dams, the water level in the Idamalayar is measured in metres and not feet. Heavy rainfall in the state has been contributing to rising water level in the dam.
Apart from the Idamalayar, water levels in the Idukki dam reached 2398.50 feet and Kakki dam water levels too hit 981.28 metres with the reservoir hitting full capacity at 981.46 metres.
Residents living near the dam had been alerted that the water levels of the Periyar would increase by 1.5 metres. The shutters of the dam have been opened by 80 cm. Water from the dam is expected to reach Aluva within the next 4-5 hours. It was in order to avoid flooding in Periyar due to the simultaneous opening of the Idukki and Idamalayar dam that the water from Idamalayar had been released. The Idukki reservoir too has been filling up due to heavy rains with the water level currently at 2398.50 feet.