Even as the swollen rivers began gradually retreating to their original course on Tuesday, Pathanamthitta district continued to be on the edge with the water level in all major rivers still flowing well above the danger mark.
Officials said the Pampa, Manimala and Achencoil remained in spate following heavy rain over the previous night. While the floodwaters began to recede from the upper reaches with the rain subsiding, the run-off water was set to enter more parts of the Upper Kuttanad region in the downstream by Tuesday night.
In a meeting convened by Health Minister Veena George to review the progress of rescue and relief operations in the district, government officials were directed not to leave the district and avoid taking leaves in view of the emergency situation. Those living on the riverbanks have been advised to remain vigilant against possible landslips.
Taking a serious note of the erosion of soil underneath the approach road of the Kaipattoor bridge, a ban on traffic of heavy vehicles along the route has been imposed.
The torrential rain in the previous days ensured copious inflow to the dams in Pathanamthitta district, some of which were close to attaining the full reservoir level. As of Tuesday evening, water level in the Moozhiyar reservoir stood at 191 m as against the upper limit of 192.94 m. Storage in the Pampa dam, which has the maximum water limit of 986.33 m, stood at 972.90 m.
At 971.08 m, water level in the Kakkai-Anathodu reservoir was 65.58% of its live storage capacity.
Rainfall data available with the district authorities suggested that the Seethathodu region on the eastern high ranges received the highest volume of rain over the 48 hours that ended on Tuesday morning. As many as 25 relief camps have been opened in the district, which together accommodated 426 people from 118 families.
