A car in Kottayam district in the aftermath of Kerala floods
Incessant rain, landslips, battered roads, dilapidated houses, overflowing rivers, uprooted trees, the list could only get grim as Kerala is yet again being pounded by a spell of rain. This rain comes right after Kerala was inundated by massive floods in 2018 and 2019. The rain was moderate in 2020 but 2021 seems to have gone awry with a trough entering Kerala from the East, an unusual phenomena according to experts.
The state government, taking lessons from the past, has wasted no time to open the reservoir gates in a calibrated manner. The Irrigation Department and the Kerala State Electricity Board, which manage the dams, have opened the shutters of 11 dams.
The Federal takes you through the damage caused this time around in 2021.
NDRF personnel prepare to leave for rescue and relief operations in Paravur of Ernakulam district. Paravur was one of the most affected places in the state in the 2018 floods, with a chunk of the town completely marooned by floodwaters for a long time.
Two gates of Idamalayar dam were opened for 50 cm each at 6 am on Tuesday after heavy rains raised its water levels. The current level of water in the dam is 165.70 m against the full reservoir level at 169 m and the dam’s maximum water-retaining capacity of 171 m.
Shutters of the Idukki reservoir, Asia’s largest arc dam on the Periyar river, were also opened to ease the pressure on the dam. The dam released one lakh litre of water, flooding the Cherunthony town in its course. This is the fourth time the gates of the reservoir were opened – the gates were last opened in 1981, 1992 and 2018.
Three gates of Cheruthoni dam of the Idukki reservoir were also opened at 11 am on Tuesday after the water level reached 2,398.4 ft, breaching the red alert level of 2,397.86 ft. Around 64 families were evacuated from the downstream area of the dam before the opening of its gates. The shutters of the dam were last opened in 2018.
Residents of Kottayam recover belongings and take stock of their flood-battered dwellings after the receding of flood waters on Tuesday morning.
Fishermen load their boats on trucks and leave for Chengannur, Pathanamthitta.
Residents in Kottayam dredge their houses of mud and floodwaters.