Kozhikode on high alert as Kakkayam reservoir nears maximum level

A red alert remains active at the Kakkayam dam in Kozhikode district, where water levels have reached near-maximum capacity following heavy rainfall over the past two days.

​The reservoir, which forms a part of the Kuttiyadi Hydroelectric Project, continues to experience tremendous inflow. To manage the rising water, engineers opened two spillway gates on Sunday (August 2, 2026), both of which at present remain open by 0.25 feet to safely discharge water downstream, an official release said.

​Official measurements recorded at 7 a.m. on Monday (August 3, 2026) place the water level at 757.67 metres (2,485.8 feet), just short of its Full Reservoir Level (FRL) of 758.05 metres. Total storage now stands at 33.0672 million cubic metres, representing 97.31 per cent of overall capacity.

​Data from the past 24 hours underlines the severity of the inflow. The reservoir received 5.9241 million cubic metres of incoming water over the period.

In response, 0.4793 million cubic metres was released through the spillways, while 3.3123 million cubic metres was used for power generation, yielding 4.6831 million units of electricity.

​The current figures mark a notable increase compared to the same period last year, when the water level stood at 756.21 metres and storage was at 86.55% (29.4097 million cubic metres).

​The rapid surge follows intense weather across the catchment area. The Kakkayam region recorded 104 millimetres of rainfall in the last 24 hours alone, bringing the cumulative total since June 1 to 2,990 millimetres.

​Meanwhile, officials confirmed that the control shaft gate connecting from the Banasura dam in Wayanad has remained fully shut since 11:15 am on June 29 to avoid diverting additional water into the system.

​District authorities are closely monitoring the situation closely, and residents along the downstream riverbanks have been advised to remain alert while spillway discharges continue.