An Orange alert has been issued in the Idamalayar dam in Kerala, with the water levels touching 167.05 metres, leaving less than two metres for the dam to reach full capacity. The alert was announced on Wednesday and it follows an Orange alert that was announced in the main Idukki dam in Periyar.
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.
Officials said that a Red or final alert will be announced when the water touches 168 metres.
The Idamalayar dam in Ernakulam district is a concrete gravity dam built on the Idamalayar river, a tributary of the main Periyar river, near Ennakal in Boothathankettu in Kerala.
Apart from Idamalayar, Orange alert has also been issued in the smaller Kakki dam in Pathanamthitta.
Due to heavy rains in the state, 78 dams have nearly reached their maximum capacity. Out of these, shutters of 25 dams have already been opened, according to a Mathrubhumi report. Shutters of the Aruvikkara and Peppara dams were opened in Thiruvananthapuram and the Neyyar dam too was opened on Monday by the irrigation department, which controls it.
The Malampuzha dam in Palakkad too has reached its full capacity and a final alert has been issued. The shutters of the dam will soon be opened, as per reports.
As for the Idukki dam on the Periyar, the water levels as on Wednesday is 2395.88 feet with the dam reaching full capacity at 2403 feet. An orange alert was issued on Monday. However, State water resources minister Mathew T Thomas in a press meet on Tuesday said that there is no immediate possibility of opening shutters in a trial run as the water level rise has been slowing down considerably.