Following the water level at the Mullaperiyar dam reaching 139.15 ft against its Full Reservoir Level (FRL) of 142 feet on Wednesday, the Tamil Nadu government which operates the dam announced that the dam will be opened at 1:30 am on Wednesday.
The Tamil Nadu government had given a second warning on Tuesday night regarding the opening of the dam following which the measures to vacate around 1,250 families from the banks of the dam had begun. (The dam though situated in Kerala, is operated by TN govt).
With this, shutters of 33 dams in Kerala have been opened. Many districts in the state have been inundated with water following heavy rains and controlled discharge from dams .
Water will be released from the Mullaperiyar reservoir by 1:30 AM. People in the villages of Manjumala, Kumily, Periyar, Upputhura and Ayyapankovil have been relocated. People living on the banks of Periyar must be cautious. #KeralaFloods
— CMO Kerala (@CMOKerala) August 14, 2018
It has been reported that almost 4,000 people will be shifted from the banks to various relief camps in the Idukki district.
Kerala Chief Secretary, Tom Jose in a press statement is reported to have said that due to the increaser in the inflow of water, the Tamil Nadu Disaster Relief Commission had informed him about the need to open the dam shutters.
The Chief Secretary had informed that the people living on the banks of the Periyar in the districts of Idukki, Ernakulam and Thrissur were asked to move to the relief camps at the time given by the district officials and cooperate with the officials.
The Idukki District Collector on Tuesday had said in a statement that, “Due to heavy rains, there has been an increase in the water levels at the Mullaperiyar dam because of which there are chances of the dam shutters to be opened.”
He added that, “taking into consideration, the safety of the people living on the banks of the Mullaperiyar, they are requested to vacate from the banks before 9 pm to the relief camps.”