Wayanad: Disaster Management team rescues flood-hit people at Vithiri in Wayanad Wayanad: Disaster Management team rescues flood-hit people at Vithiri in Wayanad

An orange alert has been sounded at the Mullaperiyar dam, the penultimate step to opening the sluice gates to drain the excess water from the reservoir. The dam, located on the Periyar river in Kerala, is operated and maintained by the Tamil Nadu government. The state relief commissioner of TN has indicated that the sluice gates would be opened due to heavy inflow of water in the reservoir.

Read in Malayalam

A 24*7 control room has been opened by the district administration of Idukki to respond to all the concerns of the locals. Relief camps have already been set up in areas near the dam to house those who will have to be relocated. All those living in low-lying areas have been asked to move to safer and higher areas.

With the opening of the Mullaperiyar shutters, more water is expected to be released from the Cheruthoni dam on the Idukki reservoir.

Most of the districts of the state have been receiving torrential rainfall since Tuesday morning. Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan announced that the government will not celebrate Onam this year owing to the unprecedented flood situation. The money collected for the same will be used for relief efforts.

📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines

For all the latest India News, download Indian Express App.