Only 12.65% water left in Idukki reservoir

Idukki: The rising water levels in Idukki reservoir last year had triggered panic in the state, but now with only 12.65% water left in the reservoir, fears of a looming drought and power crisis have started rising.

If the monsoon continues to play truant, the water level will recede to dead storage level soon, said KSEB sources.

It is after the fifteen years that the water level has decreased to such alarming levels in the dam. If the present situation continues, the KSEB will be forced to stop power generation in Moolamattam power house, said KSEB sources.

“Currently, the power generation has reduced 2 to 3MU per day. The lowest water levels recorded in the history of Idukki dam was on July 12, 2002 at 2,296 ft, followed by 2,297.8 ft in 1997, 2,299.4 ft in 1996 and 2,301.6 ft in 2003, said the officials. The present storage level is capable of generating power at the same level for the next two months. If the power generation is increased, the water level will hit dead storage within ten days. The storage level in other dams in the state has also plummeted to alarming levels, said the KSEB sources.

“The poor monsoon has badly affected the inflow into the reservoir. The IMD had predicted good monsoon this year and we continued the power generation based on this assumption. The failure of IMD prediction has severally affected the water storage in the reservoir,” said the source.

Power minister M M Mani had said on Tuesday that if the present situation continues, load shedding will be imposed in state within ten days. “If the present climate continues, we have no way to manage the power crisis,” said the minister.

“Currently, the state is purchasing 90% of power from other states to manage the situation,” said officials.