Tamil Nadu officials have announced the closure of three of the Mullaperiyar dam’s 13 spillway shutters, a decision made on Wednesday due to a noticeable decrease in the dam’s water level.
This move follows an earlier action on Saturday when all 13 spillway shutters were raised in response to significant water inflow into the reservoir. By Wednesday afternoon, the Mullaperiyar dam’s water level had fallen to 137.90 feet. Consequently, three shutters have been closed, while the remaining ten continue to be kept open by 150 cm. The tunnel discharge from the dam was recorded at 1,789 cusecs, with an additional 3,187 cusecs being released into the Periyar river. The average inflow to the dam at 3 p.m. stood at 4,692.56 cusecs, nearing its upper permissible limit of 138 feet until October 31.
Situation at Idukki Reservoir
Concurrently, the Idukki reservoir also saw its water level rise to 2,384.86 feet on Wednesday. While this indicates a substantial increase, it remains below the red alert threshold of 2,398.31 feet and the upper rule level of 2,399.31 feet. The Idukki district experienced only minimal rainfall throughout the day.