Thread by @jamewils

Damn Dams!!

They created all hell in Kerala......

How many dams are there in Achecoil, Manimala & Meenachil which created havoc in Central Kerala?

ZERO

How much yield of Pamba River is impounded in the dams there?

JUST 10.4%

Blame it on dams!!

Come to the Northern Kerala.....

There you have the Great Chaliyar River, which flows through Kozhikode and Malappuram Districts.

How many dams are there is this Chaliyar River basin other than some small weirs?
ZERO.

Blame it on dams..

Why ur doing annual maintenance of Idukki machines whn the Monsoon is active?

Smart QN.

But understand that Idukki is meeting Kerala's peak energy demand, its annual maintenance are done during monsoon and its all machine are needed in summer whn demand high, not in monsoon

When Kerala's small reservoirs which are used to over flow in monsoon seasons are run during monsoon and Idukki machines used to be put on annual maintenance one by one during monsoon. Chill! who damn cares! we will dictate ur grid discipline

Why the Idamalayar is built? Is it basically power generating dam? 75 MW and 1020 MCM of water storage...It is built with a purpose of containing flood waters, giving irrigation potential and summer drinking water needs and to mitigate saline water intrusion..

Major problem is a perception problem. Unlike in Tamil Nadu, their PWD (WRO) own major dams, here in Kerala KSEB owns major dams. Here people think it is all greedy KSEB want to exploit the rivers.

We are hearing about integrated river basin development now...

Let's look back

First take Idukki reservoir, Idukki, Kallar & Erattayar together have a combined storage capacity of 1465 MCM and on average it regulates 1735 MCM, this is discharged to Malankara Dam with just 18.8 MCM capacity in Muvattupuzha, which caters Muvattupuzha Valley Irrigation Project

Look at how much of this controlled releases are used by Kerala Water Authority when the number of rainy days are getting less and meeting drinking water needs for people.

What is the flood storage allowance of this dam? 12.3% of its max capacity when KSEB started flood release

Come to Pamba....Sabarigiri Group - Kakki + Pamba plus its augmentations Gavi, Meenar-1 &2 & Moozhiyar+Veluthode - together can store just 483 MCM, which regulates 861 MCM and discharges to Maniyar Barrage having 1MCM live storage is used for Pamba Irrigation Project & drinking

Take the Chalakudy Basin. TN Sholayar- 5.4 TMC & Parambikulam Group -20.5 TMC (inside Kerala for TN use), We have only KER Sholayar & Poringal - 6 TMC by KSEB which regulates around 20 TMC for Chalakudy Valley Irrigation Project & Drinking

What is the capacity of Thumboormoozhi weir? ZERO.

What was the situation before Kerala Sholayar?

You always here a legend that before KSEB dams, Athirappilly falls was so great in summer, now became emaciated

Read this letter from N. Divakaran to EMS dated 23.10.18

We love to hear fantasy peddled as facts!!

An English translation of some points:

1. River is almost dry (It's October)
2. Irrigation scheme is a failure (Poringalkuthu Dam can only store 1 TMC alone was there)
3. We are taking bath by digging small pits in the river.

4. Water in river now is not potable

5. Saline intrusion is a great concern.

6. Complete Sholayar and Orukomban Reservoirs to ensure water for all seasons

Chalakudy is the steepest river in #Kerala, explains it's sharp response

Come back to the discussion..

Periyar Valley Irrigation Project under Bhoothankettu Barrage with no appreciable storage receives water from Idamalayar + 7 small reservoirs in Mudirapuzha with 1185 MCM regulates 2740 MCM annually.

Drinking water projects too depend these dams

Kuttiyadi Irrigation Project is an exception, which is not fully depend on the upstream KSEB reservoirs for its use. Even then for 2nd & 3rd crops KYIP need this water.

Peruvannamoozhi 113 MCM (IRN)

KSEB

Kuttiyadi 34 MCM
Banasurasgar 186 MCM
Regulates 340 MCM annually

So understand our forefathers developed these rivers primarily for Irrigation and drinking water, power generation was it's supplementary use.

Kerala stores how much of its river water in these damn dams?

Just 6.6% of annual flow!

Empty it when IMD says it's 96% to 104% LPA

What this great IMD predicted for Kerala in their bulletin dated 9th August 2018 for next two weeks for Kerala?

Zilch

Dont bother about LPA prediction or short term prediction by IMD, empty ur dams and wait for a deluge...

Great Advice...Anyone can say anything in HINDSIGHT

Then first suffer drinking water shortage..Then irrigation water problem..what electricity..u can even make that from waves!!

But you greedy people not emptied your dams. Did not listen to our wisdom in hindsight!!!

Now come back to the point of flood storage spaces

Of course, we need them...Why our dams dont have that beyond a point, why create bigger spillways rather than flood storages? warrant a considered debate based on its historical and economical perspective

I forgot to put the inflow into the Idukki when this 9th prediction of IMD was there.

Please see the GRAPH and see the trend till 9th. Our media wanted to crash lock Idukki shutters, not because of an extreme rainfall by Kanipayyur, they want to see Idukki getting open after 92

The inflow was declining day by day since 27th July and KSEB was generating power using more water than what is coming as inflow from 4/8/18 but our astrologers are asking why did not you foresee a 1 in 1000 year event & emptied your damn dams?

Please don't get confused with 1 in 1000year. This term in return period confuses even engineers who has not exposed risk criteria analysis. Better to express it Annual Exceedence probability (AEP). So there is 9.52% chance to have a 1 in 1000 year event in a span of 100 years

In every year, the probability of such a flood event of 1 in 1000 year is 0.1%..

So these pundits will advise us why did we fill these dams when they foresee that a deluge is on the way & you are not supposed to store water

Why did not you don't have a FLOOD FORECASTING SYSTEM, oops..

These illiterates Mallus have no idea about the scientific advancement!

Our catchment to dam travel time is just 4-5 hours it's fine with catchments having response time of 24 to 48 hours where you can act!!

Any hydrology familiar engineer can sense a rising limb and recession limb if he look at hourly data and no qualitative input you are going to implement a flood forecasting system in catchments have short response time!!!

Every flood and every drought is an opportunity for some experts to offer free wisdom.

I am ready for debate and learn from the constructive dissent. Not ready to take agendas or vitriol..

Will write, a detailed post on this

Now..Good night!!

Forget to share a slide of my presentation...long back I was giving a presentation to TVM Press Club, long back in 2005...I have not updated this ..so this is not latest. Kerala Dam figure did not include 4 dams for TN in Kerala

Now realise how damn dammed is Kerala!!

END