Depression weakens a round, but Met sees successor brewing

Yesterday's depression crossed the Bengal/Odisha coast and has weakened a round to a well-marked low-pressure area, though it does not reduce its rain-generating capacity by a great extent.

The well-marked 'low' sat over North Chhattisgarh in the neighbourhood this morning, but has triggered heavy to very rainfall over East India with the rain belt now poised to move into Central India.

Another 'low' soon

Hardly has the well-marked 'low' started this journey in earnest, the India Met Department (IMD) has notified the possibility of a follow-up 'low' over the North-West Bay of Bengal in another five days.

This will carry on the active monsoon conditions well past mid-August by when the US National Weather Services has signalled the possibility of yet another 'low' popping up along the East Coast.

Meanwhile, the IMD has said that the well-marked 'low' would bring widespread rainfall with isolated heavy to very heavy rain with extremely heavy falls over Chhattisgarh until tomorrow.

Telangana too may receive widespread rainfall with isolated very heavy falls during this period, while Madhya Pradesh and Vidarbha would experience fairly widespread to widespread rainfall with isolated heavy to very heavy falls during the next three days.

Strengthening of the low-level monsoon westerlies from the Arabian Sea and interaction with the easterlies from the well-marked 'low' could be another potential cause heavy rain along the West Coast.

The IMD has forecast widespread rainfall with isolated heavy to very heavy falls along the West Coast and the adjoining ghat areas during the two days.

Kerala has already come under the receiving end of the re-energised monsoon with Wayand district in the North receiving practically non-stop rain during the 12 hours ending this morning.

Scenario of Kerala dams

Heavy rains elsewhere has renewed the possibility of shutters opening at the already brimming reservoirs with a 'red alert' having been declared at Idamalayar reservoir in Ernakulam district.

Along with Idukki, the largest reservoir in the state, a penultimate 'orange' alert had been declared at Idamalayar during the the first heavy monsoon spell that had peaked last week.

Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB)), which operates both dams, said that the shutter gates of Idamalayar will be opened tomorrow and 5791.61 cubic feet per second of water will be released.

This may lead to raising the present water level of River Periyar by 3.2- to 4.9 feet. The released water may reach Aluva region, north of Ernakulam, in five to six hours.

Earlier in 2013, opening of the shutters at Idamalayar had released 31783.2 cubic feet per second of water, a spokesman of the KSEB said here, while making the announcement.

Meanwhile, the level at the Idukki reservoir has gradually resumed a rising trend from overnight rain, reaching 2,396.96 ft against a full reservoir level of 2,403 ft.

But the Kerala Dam Safety Authority has recommended that the spillways of the reservoir at nearby Cheruthoni need not be opened anytime before the level reaches the maximum.

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