Kerala: Three dams to be opened today

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan has urged the people residing near the dams, the shutters of which are being opened, to be vigilant. On the basis of the decision of an expert committee, the government has decided to open the shutters of Idukki, Idamalayar and Pamba dams.
While Idukki dam will be opened at 11am on Tuesday, Idamalayar will be opened at 6am. The time for opening the shutters of Pamba dam will be decided on Tuesday. The chief minister requested the public to abide by the instructions provided by the officials concerned. He said that there are 240 relief camps being operated in the state at present, in which there are 9,081 people belonging to 2,541 families.

The government had appointed an expert committee consisting of additional chief secretary (water resources), principal secretary (revenue and disaster management), commissioner (disaster management) and chairman and MD of KSEB to decide on the opening of the dam shutters of various dams across the state, in the wake of the heavy rains in the state in the last few days.
The CM convened a high-level meeting to discuss and review the prevailing conditions and the water level in the dams across the state. The expert committee will decide on which dams should be opened and which need not be, based on the water level of each of the dams. In order to avert any untoward incidents after the dam opening, the chief minister instructed that the expert committee should inform about such a decision to the respective district collectors, so that enough time is available to relocate the people residing near the banks of the rivers.
The chief minister instructed that sufficient facilities, including food, clothes and facilities for bedding should be ensured in the relief camps. He said that the rescue operations are jointly being done by state and central agencies and the public. All the public residing in areas where there is likelihood of landslides must be relocated. He instructed all the district collectors to speed up the distribution of financial aid and also to collect the details of crop loss in various districts.
The meeting also decided not to permit devotees at Sabarimala for Thula masa puja in the wake of Nilackal and Perunthenaruvi receiving rains of more than 20cm on Sunday. The government considered factors like rise in the water level in the rivers after shutters of Kakki dam was opened, landslides being reported from inside the forests and the heavy rain forecast from Wednesday while restricting devotees.
The CM also instructed that the colleges should be reopened only on October 25. The meteorological department has not yet confirmed the arrival of the rains that are received in the month of Thulam, but in the first 17 days of the ongoing month, the state has already received 84% of the rains that are usually received in Thulam. In addition, cyclones are also expected in the period from October to December, he said.
A team of NDRF personnel has been deputed to Kuttanad in Alappuzha as there is likelihood of increase in water levels there with the Kakki dam shutters being opened.