Heavy rains continue in Kerala, water in some dams reach red alert levels

Water in six dams — of which four are in Idukki — under the control of KSEB are at red alert levels and in one at orange alert level.

Thiruvananthapuram: With heavy rains continuing to lash parts of Kerala, water levels in several dams, including the Mullaperiyar and Idukki, in the state are reaching their respective storage capacities and some even reached red alert status on Sunday.

According to figures provided by the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA), water in six dams — of which four are in Idukki — under the control of KSEB are at red alert levels and in one at orange alert level.

The dams where water has reached red alert levels at 11.00 AM were — Ponmudi, Kallarkutty, Erattayar and Lower Periyar in Idukki, Kuttiyadi in Kozhikode and Moozhiyar in Pathanamthitta districts of the state.

Water levels in the Mullaperiyar dam, meanwhile, were holding steady at 135.7 feet as of 12 PM due to reduction in rainfall in the area for the last few hours and no alerts have been issued, an official from the control room set up in Idukki district said.

The official said that there was a slight increase in water level at Idukki dam, but nothing to be concerned about due to reduction in rainfall there at the moment.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday issued an yellow alert in nine out of the 14 districts of the state for the day.

On Saturday, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, referring to weather data, had said heavy rains would continue for the next five days and cautioned people living in hilly regions to remain vigilant.

Authorities had sounded alerts to people residing on banks of various rivers where water levels were rising due to heavy rainfall in the state.

The uninterrupted downpour in Kerala continues to play havoc in various parts of the state with reports of massive flooding in some areas and people being shifted to rescue shelters in others.

Many houses in the coastal belt of the state were partially damaged in the gusty winds and massive rains there.