Idukki: The water level in Periyar river has risen following the opening of nine shutters of the Mullaperiyar Dam.
Water has entered premises of the houses in Manjumala Attoram colony here.
The road through Vikas Nagar has been waterlogged. Locals are rushing to move their valuables to safety.
The Idukki district administration has asked the people living on the banks of river Periyar to exercise caution.
Tamil Nadu has raised nine shutters of the Mullaperiyar Dam on Wednesday morning following heavy rainfall in the catchment areas in the preceding hours. The shutters where raised in three phases as the water level in the dam reached 141.58 feet.
About 7,141 cusecs of water is currently being drained off the dam located in Idukki district of Kerala. (Cusec is cubic feet per second.)
Initially, five shutters were raised by 60 centimetres to release 3,948 cusecs of water through the spillway gate. Later, more shutters were lifted and the amount of water being released went up to 5,554 cusecs. As the rest of the shutters were raised the quantity being released touched 7,141 cusecs.
Tamil Nadu had opened nine shutters on Monday night to release 12,654.09 cusecs in view of the rising water level in the reservoir and shut down three of them after 10 pm.
The release of a huge quantity of water from the dam on Monday night had created panic among people living on the banks of river Periyar in Idukki district. Soon, water had started entering houses at several places close to the vicinity of the dam at Vallakadavu.
Kerala Minister for Water Resources Roshy Augustine said on Tuesday that the state will file an interim application in the Supreme Court seeking urgent intervention in the issue as Tamil Nadu has allegedly been releasing water without adequate warning each time the rule curve goes past 142 ft.
The Mullaperiyar Dam, built in 1895 on the Periyar river in Idukki district of Kerala, is operated by the Tamil Nadu government for its irrigation and power needs.
Kerala has been insisting on building a new dam, citing safety concerns, but Tamil Nadu is against it, saying the present structure is strong.
Kerala's LDF government has come under attack from the UDF-led opposition and people residing along Periyar over it's "inaction" with regard to Tamil Nadu's late night opening of the shutters of Mullaperiyar dam.
Meanwhile, Shutter No 3 of the Cheruthoni dam, which was opened at 6 AM on Tuesday, continued to remain open as the water level at the Idukki reservoir reached 2401.36ft on Wednesday, Idukki district administration officials said.
The Idukki district administration has sounded an orange alert in view of rising water level in Idukki reservoir.