Monsoon 2025: Kerala’s Irrigation Dams On Yellow Alert Amid Heavy Rainfall

As the southwest monsoon sweeps across Kerala, bringing widespread rainfall, many major irrigation reservoirs in the state have been placed under yellow alert as of 11 a.m. on May 27. The alert indicates controlled release of water either for irrigation purposes or as a precautionary measure in view of rising water levels, as per the latest updates from the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA).

In a post on X on Tuesday, the KSDMA shared a chart of the irrigation reservoirs across districts that have reported increased water levels. These include major dams like Malankara in Idukki, Bhoothathankettu in Ernakulam, Malampuzha and Siruvani (Inter-State Waters) in Palakkad and Kuttyadi in Kozhikode.

Among these, Bhoothathankettu Barrage in Ernakulam reported a staggering outflow of 1387 cubic metres per second. This was followed by Pazhassi Barrage in Kannur with 1036.23 m³/sec and Kuttyadi in Kozhikode discharging 97.54 m³/sec. These high discharge rates are indicative of proactive steps to manage water levels and ensure structural safety.

The yellow alert protocol for reservoirs ensures controlled water release to maintain safe levels and avoid sudden flooding downstream.

Several reservoirs are also witnessing rising water storage levels amid the recent heavy rainfall triggered by the southwest monsoon. Malankara Dam in Idukki is at 89% of its gross storage capacity, holding 32.92 million cubic metres of water. Neyyar Dam in Thiruvananthapuram is at 74% storage, while Kuttyadi holds 76.44 MCM, or 72% of capacity. The Siruvani reservoir has reached 65% of its storage capacity.

While some reservoirs like Peechi (13% storage) and Malampuzha (28%) are still well below capacity, the government agency is taking no chances, particularly in areas that are rainfall-prone during the early monsoon phase.

The reservoirs’ yellow alert comes at a time when the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued red, orange and yellow alerts across multiple districts in Kerala, forecasting heavy to very heavy rainfall in the coming days.

For May 27, the IMD has issued a red alert for districts such as Kozhikode, Wayanad and Kannur. On the other hand, the weather agency has issued an orange alert for the districts of  Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Idukki, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad and Malappura. Yellow alerts were issued for Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Alappuzha.