Kerala gets a breather as rain relents, Idukki dam water level ebbs

Torrential rain which triggered flood and landslides across Kerala and claimed 30 lives so far subsided on Saturday bringing some relief to the harried state and enabling Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to make an aerial survey of the worst affected Idukki district and surrounding areas. Idukki district collector Jeevan Babu said water level in Idukki reservoir has come down a bit as rainfall in catchment areas subsided. Currently, 750,000 litres of water are being released from the dam every second to bring down the water level in the swollen reservoir. On Friday, 100 mm rainfall was recorded in the dam catchment areas but on Saturday it came down to 60 mm giving enough relief to the harried district administration. State Revenue Minister E Chandrasekharan who is camping in Aluva said situation was under control.