The uneven rainfall since the start of the water year on June 1 has impacted the Idukki reservoir level, which has started to decline after initially increasing following the summer rain.
The water level receding after the middle of June is rare. The water level first started to rise in May and it declined again. However, with the southwest monsoon it increased and then started declining again from Thursday. This is for the second time the water level has started to decline, says M.P. Saju, assistant engineer, Dam Safety, Kerala State Electricity Board.
Normally, the water level starts to show a rising trend only after two to three days of continuous heavy rainfall after the start of the monsoon. However, the pattern has changed since 2018 and the water level increasing with the summer rain is rare in the Idukki reservoir.
