Flood 2018 final update and changes since 1962 flood

For the records, the water level reached 3.8 feet on Aug 16th, measured from road level.

Thanks for the measurements. For comparison the 1962 and 1924 flood maximum water levels were several feet above the 2018 level in Vallamkulam ( reference family history book, Dr. C.C.Abraham).

However in many other places the flood levels far surpassed or crossed all floods in the last 100 years! My dad (Dr. C.C. Abraham) has expressed couple of significant changes since 1962. The floodway or canal was closed at the mouth just East of the Vallamkulam bridge. And the Kakki dam in Pamba can into use.

Effect of closing the canal may have been beneficial, but the question how, in my opinion, has to do with conveniently forgotten landfills; I have heard that the ‘road’ going south from the Vallamkulam school was originally a canal!

The effect of the dam in Pamba is adverse when it discharges: it would raise the water level downstream of the confluence point of the tributary, Manimala.to rise, and cause damming of Manimala at the mouth all the way back to at least Vallamkulam!

I missed an important point about the reason for lower flood levels, and this is actually good news. Below is the cut-and-paste job, in the words of my dad (Dr. Abraham).

Shibu,

“I have gone through the two blogs on floods 2018.The efforts that you made to assess the flood situation 2018 as compared to that of 1924 and 1962 are appreciated.

An additional factor for lowered flood
level at Vkm seems to be the dredging and deepening of a tributary Varattar
of the river Manimala, which
reaches near Kuttoor.As this has been deepened and enlivened, this Varattar is now capable of absorbing substantial flood waters.As you said , the land fills
should have flood proneness but the counteracting influences may have been stronger.”