A spillway shutter of the Banasura Sagar reservoir at Padinharethara in Wayanad district was opened by 10 cm on Friday as a precautionary measure.
The full storage level of the reservoir is 775.6 metres and the water level at 5 p.m. on Friday was 771.6 m. The catchment area of the reservoir received 16.1 mm rainfall on Thursday and 51.1 mm till 5.30 p.m. on Friday, assistant executive engineer P. Manoharan said.
“The inflow of water in the catchment area is very low but we opened a shutter in the wake of the yellow alert issued in the district by the India Meteorology Department,” Mr. Manoharan said. As much as 5.1 mm cubic metre water per second was discharging through the spillway when the shutter was opened.
A team of National Disaster Response Force has reached the district. Disaster control rooms started functioning at the Wayanad collectorate and three taluk headquarters. Phone numbers are: Collectorate — 04936-204151; Sulthan Bathery taluk office — 04936-220296; Vythiri — 04936-255229 and Mananthavady — 04935-240231.
In Idukki
The District Collector has said that the shutters of the Cheruthoni dam of the Idukki reservoir will be opened on Saturday depending on the inflow of water into the reservoir. It was earlier planned to open the shutters at 4 p.m. on Friday.