THRISSUR: Five spillway shutters of Peringalkuthu dam were opened on Thursday afternoon, as the water level in the reservoir rose above the maximum level, following continuous rains in the catchment areas.
Meanwhile, KSEB officials managing the dam are assuring that the water level in the Chalakudy River may not rise drastically, as the shutters have been opened only marginally. The shutters have been opened by 90cm each and the water discharge could be around 90 cubic meters per second, the KSEB sources said. The authorities had decided to open the shutters of the dam after the water level reached 420.95ft and the intention is to bring it down to 420ft.
However, KSEB officials said the intensity of rains in the catchment areas is not very high.
According to Chalakudy River Protection Council leader S P Ravi, the water level in Chalakudy River was coming down as there were no significant rains since Thursday morning in the area.
Another relief is that the water level in Parambikulam and Sholayar are low, ruling out the possibilities of abrupt opening of dams and consequent rise in the water level in Peringalkuthu.
One of the major factors that led to the floods in 2018 was the abrupt release of water from Parambikulam dam at 1am on August 16 in that year and the subsequent overflow from the Peringalkuthu dam.
Meanwhile, several low-lying areas in the district were inundated following incessant rains over the past couple of days. Chalakudy, Kodungallur and Chavakkad areas received the highest level of rainfall. Ten houses were damaged in different parts of the district in the rain fury in the last two days, and three of them had collapsed completely.
Heavy winds, accompanied with rains, had also caused extensive damage in the district. Two companies of NDRF have been posted in the district in the backdrop of the rain fury.
