Kerala HC registers suo motu PIL over high levels of water in dams, possibility of floods

Kochi (Kerala) [India], May 28 : Kerala High Court on Thursday registered a suo motu public interest litigation (PIL) based on the letter by Justice Devan Ramachandran highlighting the high levels of water in dams and the possibility of floods.
Justice Ramachandran, in a letter to Chief Justice of Kerala S Manikumar, said that water levels in the dams are already high due to low power generation in view of the COVID-19 lockdown.
The letter dated May 14 said that even normal rainfall this year may replicate the horror of flooding which had unfolded in the years 2018-2019.
"Recent news reports tend to show that the levels in the various dams are already high, in comparison to what it should be in normal circumstances at this time, on account of reduced electricity generation caused by the COVID-19 lockdown," Justice Ramachandran said in the letter.
"This may not be taken to mean that the inundation of the two years past was solely because of unregulated dams but this could certainly be one of the many contributing factors," the letter said.
It also sought reports from the Load Dispatch Centre of Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) and the Kerala Dam Safety Authority on the matter.
"To potentially exacerbate the concern, it is also reported in certain quarters that some of the generators in the Idukki Dam are not functional, thus resulting in lower power generation even during the rains; and that the 'Rule Curve' now devised/adopted by the KSEB does not properly anticipate flooding this year," the letter said.