Govt disallows pilgrims to Sabarimala due to extreme weather

Expert panel to ensure dam safety, regulate outflow

The State government has disallowed pilgrims to Sabarimala for pooja during the Malayalam month of Thulam, due to rising water levels in Pampa. The government has also constituted an expert committee to regulate the release of water from 81 dams straddling swollen rivers in rain-ravaged Kerala.

The network of hydel-power, irrigation and drinking water dams were decades old and designed in a pre-climate change era. Consequently, the government constituted an expert panel including climatologists, structural engineers and hydrologists to help the administration manage dams during extreme weather. The expert committee would primarily regulate the opening and closing of spillways.

Its principal task is to ensure that the heavy inflow from catchment areas during heavy rain does not strain the structural integrity of the levees. Moreover, the committee would regulate the discharge of dam water to ensure that the outflow does not inundate villages, towns, homes, roads, population centres and farmlands downstream.