Five shutters of the Malankara Dam were opened to manage rising inflow into the reservoir after heavy rainfall in Idukki on Sunday.
| Photo Credit: ANI
The hilly district of Idukki in Kerala witnessed heavy to moderate downpours on Sunday night and Monday morning. Isolated incidents of mudslides and fallen trees were reported across various parts of the district. In response to the mudslide threat, Idukki District Collector Dinesan Cheruvat banned travel on the Neriamangalam-Adimali stretch, a key portion of the Kochi-Dhanushkodi National Highway, until further notice.
The tourism ban remains in effect across the district due to heavy rainfall and the ongoing threat of landslides. All tourism centers in the district remain closed.
Water levels are rising rapidly in the district’s smaller dams. The shutters of the Kallarkutty, Pambla, and Kallar dams have already been opened. The shutters of the Malankara dam will be raised further to release more water when the water level reaches a dangerous threshold. Within three days, the water level in the Idukki dam — the State’s largest hydel power project — rose by over 13 feet. On Monday morning, the water level in the Idukki dam stood at 2,343.56 feet (40.44% capacity), while the water level in the Mullaperiyar dam rose to 118.35 feet.
A total of 200 people remain housed in 13 relief camps across the district’s four taluks.
Meanwhile, rain gauges installed in tea and cardamom plantations by the Idukki Rain Monitoring Project — an initiative by the Kanjirappally-based Swaruma Charitable Society — recorded over 200 mm of rainfall over the past 24 hours at three monitoring centres.
At the Panchalimedu tourism center near Peermade, a resort’s retaining wall collapsed on Sunday evening due to heavy rains, damaging two parked cars in the area.
Published – August 03, 2026 10:49 am IST
