Flood Alert Issued as Dams Release Water in Bhavani Basin

Quick Summary

• Heavy rains in Palakkad district led to dams releasing water as a precautionary measure.
• Dam actions:

– Malampuzha Dam: All spillway shutters opened by 5 cm, water level at 112.33 meters (capacity: 115.06 meters).
– Upper Bhavani Dam: Sluice shutters opened, releasing approximately 1,000 cusecs of water.
– Kanjirapuzha Dam: Three spillway shutters opened by 20 cm; water level at 96.16 meters (capacity: 97.50 meters).
– Mangalam Dam: Spillway shutters opened by 20 cm; water level at 77 meters (capacity: 77.88 meters).
– Pothundi Dam,Meenkara Dam,Chulliyar Dam: Spillway shutters partially opened due to near-full capacity levels.
– Walayar & Moolathara Regulator reported high but manageable water levels.
– Siruvani dam: Sluice shutters launched open by one meter; reservoir nearing full capacity.

• Houses were flooded in Chittur taluk due to debris accumulation and blocked bridges causing overflow.
• Two dozen houses were damaged as Saturday due to uprooting of trees affecting road traffic and flooding conditions across villages situated close to riverbanks.

Indian Opinion Analysis

The coordinated release of dam waters reflects effective disaster management planning amid significant rainfall across Kerala’s Palakkad district over the weekend. nonetheless, the upstream effects-flooding in vulnerable areas like Chittur taluk-highlight enduring issues around infrastructure bottlenecks such as bridge blockages caused by debris accumulation.

Flooding near rivers such as the Bhavani accentuates the importance of improving early warning systems and community preparedness measures for downstream villages like Attappady that are prone to sudden inundation during dam discharges or heavy rain spells.

while rainfall moderation provides temporary relief, officials must approach reservoir-level monitoring with precision during monsoon season fluctuations given many sites reached dangerously close to maximum storage capacities this weekend-a sign potential relief systems need balancing further if multi-needed intersections occur optimizing contingency plans cycles .

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