Green activists in Wayanad district have urged the government to reduce the water level of the Banasura Sagar reservoir ahead of the southwest monsoon to avert a flood-like situation in the district.
Speaking to mediapersons here on Wednesday, N.Badusha, president, Wayanad Prakrithi Samrakshana Samiti, said floods caused by the opening of the dam shutters during the monsoons had caused huge loss of crops, death of domestic animals and destruction of property in the low-lying areas of the district.
Floods had been affecting over 5,000 families in five grama panchayats every year since the commissioning of the dam, Mr. Badusha said.
Compensation sought
Though the dam was owned by the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB), neither the government nor the board had paid any compensation to the people for their losses. While the KSEB was maintaining the dam, it was yet to adopt any steps to ensure the safety of the thousands of families living in the low-lying areas, Thomas Ambalavayal, secretary of the organisation, said.
The full reservoir level of the dam was 775.6 m. and it should be reduced by half to protect the life and property of the public, he said.
Usually, the northeast monsoon was very heavy in the district and the storage level could be increased during that period.
Mr. Badusha demanded the setting up of an integrated management system for all the dams across the Kabani river in Kerala and Karnataka to prevent flood-like situations owing to the unplanned opening of the shutters.