Following increased inflow, more water was released from the Mullaperiyar and Idukki dams on Tuesday. The five shutters of the Cheruthoni dam of the Idukki reservoir were opened to release 350 cumecs and 10,400 cusecs was released to the Periyar from the Mullaperiyar.
Many houses were waterlogged at the Manjumala, Vikas Nagar, and Kadasikkad Aattoram areas of Vandiperiyar after Tamil Nadu opened 13 shutters of the Mullaperiyar dam. Water Resources Minister Roshy Augustine and Peerumade MLA Vazhoor Soman reviewed the situation in the downstream areas of the Mullaperiyar dam. Relief camps were opened at Vallakadavu, Vandiperiyar, Chappathu and Upputhara.
Shutters two, three, four of the Cheruthoni dam were raised by 140 cm and one, five by 40 cm on Tuesday. A total of 350 cumecs was released to the Cheruthoni river.
The water level at 4 p.m. on Tuesday was 2,387.20 ft (81.90% of the storage level) while the full reserve level is 2,403 ft. The upper rule level is 2,383.53 ft till August 10 as per the present rule curve for the dam. On Sunday, three shutters were opened and 100 cumecs was released.
Ten spillway shutters of the Mullaperiyar dam remained open and three more shutters were raised by 90 cm releasing 10,400 cusecs into the Periyar at 3 p.m. on Tuesday. Tamil Nadu was drawing 2,216 cusecs and the average inflow was 11,599 cusecs by Tuesday evening.
In view of the release of water from the Mullaperiyar dam, 85 families at Kadasikkad Attoram, Vikas Nagar, Chandravanam, and Vallakkadavu were shifted to relief camps.
Some of the families refused to move and the Revenue Divisional Officer reached the spot and shifted them to relief camps.