High turbidity in the Periyar caused stoppage of water supply from the Kerala Water Authority’s (KWA) water treatment plant at Aluva from about 3 a.m. on Monday.
The Chief Engineer of the Kerala State Electricity Board informed a meeting that Edamalayar hydroelectric power plant had been shut down due to a snag. However, one of the generators would start functioning soon. Water level in the Periyar downstream depends mainly on the amount of water released after power generation from dams.
Officials have not found the cause behind the rising turbidity so far.
Turbidity had come down to about 150 nephelometric turbidity unit (ntu) by afternoon at Aluva, but at Chowara, turbidity was as high as 300 ntu in the morning hours.
KWA officials told The Hindu that pumping would start as soon as the water released from Edamalayar reaches Aluva, which would lessen the turbidity here.