Idamalayar Inflow Outflow
Idamalayar Inflow Outflow
Abstract
Kerala State located in the humid tropics receives an average rainfall of 2810 mm. On an average 85% of
this rainfall is received during the two monsoons spread from June to November. Midland and lowland
regions of several of the river basins of Kerala experience severe flood events during the monsoons.
Idamalayar hydro-electric project (1987) in Periyar River basin envisages flood control apart from power
generation. This paper analyzes the flood moderation by Idamalayar reservoir considering the storage
regime (inflow and outflow) which is subjected to a strong inter annual variability. The role of
Idamalayar reservoir in controlling the monsoon floods is analyzed using daily data (1987-2010). The
results of analysis show that the flood moderation by the reservoir is 92% when water storage is less than
50%. The reduction is 87% when reservoir storage is between 50 to 90% and moderation reduces to 62
% when the reservoir storage is above 90%. Non-parametric trend analysis of fifty years of hydrologic
data shows a reducing trend in inflow and storage during south-west monsoon which reduced spill and
subsequent flood events during north-east monsoon.
Copyright © 2013 International Energy and Environment Foundation - All rights reserved.
Keywords: Flood moderation; Humid tropics; Reservoir storage; Return period; Spill.
1. Introduction
Kerala State is situated in south-west India. Rivers of the state originate from the steep high lands of the
Western Ghats on the east, flow through the mid land and lowland terrains and finally join the
Lakshadweep Sea. The physiography of this humid tropical region and intense monsoon rains cause
floods in July- August, almost every year.
Periyar river basin with an areal extent of 5398 sq. km. is the second largest river basin in Kerala. The
average annual rainfall of the basin is 2810 mm, estimated using the data from 54 rain gauge stations
distributed in and around the basin [1, 2]. Intense rainfall during the monsoon periods are very common,
causing floods in the midland and lowland regions. Reclamation of lowlands and wetlands as a result of
urbanization also adds to the magnitude of flood damages downstream [3, 4].
There are forty eight reservoirs in the state, which play a major role in flood moderation. Most of the
reservoirs are multi-objective in nature with major objectives of power generation and irrigation. The
state mainly depends on hydro-electric power to meet the power requirements. Out of the fifteen power
projects, seven are located in the Periyar River basin. The regulated releases from these reservoirs decide
the streamflow pattern.
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142 International Journal of Energy and Environment (IJEE), Volume 4, Issue 1, 2013, pp.141-152
When several of the other river basins are subjected to downstream flash floods and associated flood
damages during the intense monsoon periods, Periyar river basin with storage reservoirs is an exception.
This paper analyzes the role of Idamalayar reservoir, one of the large storage reservoirs in the region, in
controlling floods in Idamalayar sub-basin of Periyar basin.
2. Study area
Idamalayar is a tributary of Periyar River and it joins the main Periyar River 1.5 km upstream of
Bhoothathankettu barrage (Figure 1). There are seven major hydro electric projects upstream of
Bhoothathankettu. Streamflow in Periyar River depends on the operation of the reservoirs of these hydro-
electric projects including that of Idamalayar.
Idamalayar tributary emerges from Anamala in the Devikulam taluk at an elevation of 2520 m above the
mean sea level. Anamalayar, Manaliyar and a number of small streams, join together, to form this river
(Figure 1). It then flows in a south-westerly direction and the Pooyamkutty tributary finally joins Periyar
River at an elevation of +26 m near Koottickal village. The total length of Idamalayar stream up to the
confluence with the Periyar is 74 km. Periyar River then flows through the midland and lowland regions,
where the major industrial belt of Kerala state is located [4, 9].
Idamalayar reservoir was commissioned in 1987. It is 167 m high concrete gravity dam (latitude
100:13’:15” N, longitude 760: 42’: 30” E) with a gross storage capacity of 1024 million cubic meters. The
catchment area of the project is 380.73 sq. km.
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International Journal of Energy and Environment (IJEE), Volume 4, Issue 1, 2013, pp.141-152 143
Idamalayar power house, with an installed capacity of 75 mega watt produces about 600 million units of
power annually. The operation of the reservoir is controlled by the Kerala State Electricity Board
(KSEB). Standard Linear Operating Policy (SLOP) is generally adopted in which the power generation is
directly proportional to the reservoir storage [5]. The salient features of the project are given in Table 1.
3. Methodology
The role of Idamalayar reservoir, commissioned in 1987, in flood moderation was analyzed by
comparing the daily inflow, outflow and reservoir storage during the period June 1987 to August 2010.
The information on reservoir regime was made available by KSEB. Daily inflow information, storage
details, tail race discharge and spill at Idamalayar provided by KSEB were used in the analysis and the
inflow and outflow series is compared.
The average monthly inflow, outflow and storage of Idamalayar reservoir along with monthly rainfall at
Idamalayar dam site are given in Figure 2.
The Idamalayar catchment contributes about 1406 million m3 of water to Idamalayar reservoir every
year. The peak inflows above return period of 4 years Q4 (552 m3 per second) usually occur in the month
of August, and the inflow reduces drastically to below 10 m3 per second by end of December every year.
The ratio of reservoir capacity to mean annual inflow is 0.775.
The water storage levels in the reservoir start rising in the beginning of south-west monsoon in June
every year. The storage in the reservoir will be at its peak at the end of north –east monsoon, i.e. by
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144 International Journal of Energy and Environment (IJEE), Volume 4, Issue 1, 2013, pp.141-152
November. From December to May the storage gradually decreases and the lowest levels are reached in
May, the last month of summer season.
T=1/P (1)
To determine the recurrence intervals, stream flow values at the gauging station is ranked from the
highest to lowest (i.e. highest flow with rank 1) using Weibull method recurrence interval (T) of each
flow is calculated as:
T=(n+1)/m (2)
where n is the number of stream flow values ranked and m is the rank number of each stream flow value.
Stream flow values and recurrence intervals are plotted with recurrence interval on a logarithmic scale
and stream flow values on a linear scale.
The values of annual maximum flood for Idamalayar catchment for 23 successive years, after
commissioning of the dam in 1987, were analyzed (Figure 3).
Three types of daily flood flows were identified based on the analysis of daily data. The classification
was based on return period of floods (i) 1-2 years return period (ii) 2-4 years return period and (iii) above
4 years return period
(i) Small very frequent floods, with daily discharge above Q1 (231 m3/sec) but below Q2 (391 m3/sec),
in which case the threshold was exceeded on an average of 6 days per year.
(ii) Medium flood flows, with daily discharge between Q2 (391 m3/sec) and Q4 (552 m3/sec), in which
case the threshold exceeded on an average of 2 days per year.
(iii) Large exceptional flood flows, with daily discharges above Q4 (552 m3/sec), in which the threshold
was exceeded on an average of one day per year.
Daily flood flows were used to classify all inflows and outflows. The number of flood days was
calculated for both inflow and outflow discharges to understand the seasonal effect [8].
Inflow-outflow hydrographs of Idamalayar reservoir (1987-2010) were compared with hydrographs used
for design (1943-1968). Weighted average rainfall information (Thiessen Polygon Method) from fifteen
rain gauge stations in and around Idamalayar catchment was the major input in arriving at the inflow
hydrograph for the period 1943-1968. Inglis’ rainfall runoff straight line relationship for Western Ghat
region was used to compute monthly inflow hydrograph for Idamalayar reservoir. The results were
validated by comparing rainfall-runoff relationship of contiguous and similar Pooyamkutty catchment
and the gauged data for a period of six years [9]. Pooyamkutty is a major tributary of Idamalayar joining
Idamalayar downstream of Idamalayar Dam.
xi=f(ti)+εi (3)
where f(t) is a continuous monotonic increasing or decreasing function of time and the residuals εi can be
assumed to be from the same distribution with zero mean. For the time series with less than 10 data
points the S test is used and for time series with 10 or more points the normal approximation (Z statistics)
is used. A positive value of Z indicates a downward trend. Four significance levels (α) are tested in
MAKESENS. They are 0.001, 0.01, 0.05 and 0.1. In all other cases, the significance level is greater than
0.1.
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International Journal of Energy and Environment (IJEE), Volume 4, Issue 1, 2013, pp.141-152 145
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146 International Journal of Energy and Environment (IJEE), Volume 4, Issue 1, 2013, pp.141-152
Figures 7a to 7c. The coefficient of determination is higher for large floods compared to medium and
small floods, showing that for large floods, the flood moderation is more related to reservoir storage.
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International Journal of Energy and Environment (IJEE), Volume 4, Issue 1, 2013, pp.141-152 147
(a)
(b)
(c)
Figure 6. (a) Reservoir storage less than 50-90%; (b) Reservoir storage less than 50-90%; (c) Reservoir
storage above 90%
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148 International Journal of Energy and Environment (IJEE), Volume 4, Issue 1, 2013, pp.141-152
Figure 7. Ratio of inflow peaks and corresponding outflows in relation to reservoir storage
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International Journal of Energy and Environment (IJEE), Volume 4, Issue 1, 2013, pp.141-152 149
(a)
(b)
Figure 8. (a) Inflow Peaks-percentage time exceeded; (b) Outflow Peaks-percentage time exceeded
(a)
(b)
Figure 9. Average monthly inflow and outflow
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150 International Journal of Energy and Environment (IJEE), Volume 4, Issue 1, 2013, pp.141-152
Box-Wisker plots comparing south-west monsoon and north-east monsoon inflow during the design
period and after commissioning of dam are shown in Figure 10 (a) and (b). Average south-west monsoon
and north-east monsoon storage during 1943-68 and 1994-2010 are detailed in Table 2.
(a) (b)
Table 2. Statistics on average reservoir storage during south-west and north-east monsoons
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International Journal of Energy and Environment (IJEE), Volume 4, Issue 1, 2013, pp.141-152 151
5. Conclusions
The role of Idamalayar reservoir in flood moderation and the seasonality of floods in the humid tropical
region of Kerala were studied. The analysis show that floods are moderated efficently by the reservoir.
1. Flood moderation by Idamlayar reservoir in depends on (1) time of occurance of flood event (2)
storage level of reservoir (3) intensity of flood
a) Since the reservoir situated in humid tropics is refilled during south-west monsoon period, there is
a clear reduction in the number of floods downstream during that period.
b) The chances of flood events downstream are more during north-east monsoon period (September-
November) when the reservoir storage level is at its peak.
c) The role of reservoir in moderating floods is more related to water storage levels for large flood
when compared to medium and small floods. Floods are very well controlled when the reservoir
capacity is less than 50%. Between 50% and 90% and above 90% capacity, flood control depends
on storage levels of the reservoir.
2. Over a period of 50 years changes are noticed in inflow, out flow and storage
a) Trend analysis of inflow to reservoir shows a decreasing trend during S-W monsoon and an
increasing trend during N-E monsoon period. Such a decresing trend in inflow imporved the
efficeny of flood moderation.
b) Outflow from the reservoir during September –March shows an increase, due to increased power
requirement and water demands downstream.
c) Storage during both the monsoon periods show decreasing trend.
3. Comparison of spill calculated for the period 1943-1968 and the actual spill data (1987-2010) show
that magnitude and frequency of spill from the reservoir was less after commissioning of the
reservoir.
4. Changes in the inflow and storage pattern during the S-W and N-E monsoon periods and the higher
outflow during September –March is the contributing factor for reduced spill more efficient flood
moderation by the reservoir.
Acknowledgements
The authors thank the Executive Director, CWRDM and Vice Chancellor, Karunya University for their
support. The support given by the Chief Engineers (IPD & Reservoir Operations) Kerala State Electricity
Board is gratefully acknowledged.
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References
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[5] KSEB (Kerala State Electricity Board) System Operation Hand Books- 1993-94 to 2007-08),
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[6] Chow V.T, Maidment D. R., Mays L. W., 1988, Applied Hydrology, Mc Graw hill Publishing Co:
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Publishers Inc: Ann Arbor, MI.
[8] López-Moreno, J. I, Beguería, S. and García-Ruiz, J. M. 2002, Influence of the Yesa reservoir on
floods of the Aragón River, Central Spanish Pyrenees, Hydrology and Earth System Sciences,
6(4), 753–762.
[9] Report on Periyar River Basin, Irrigation Division, Ernakulam, 2003, Government of Kerala,
Water Resources Department, Kerala, India.
[10] Timo S, Anu M, Pia A, Tuija R A, Toni A, 2002, Publication on Air quality No.31. Detecting
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George Abe has an M Tech in Civil Engineering (Remote Sensing) from IIT Powai, Bombay (1986)
and is currently Scientist in Centre for Water Resources Development and Management, Kerala, India.
He has more than twenty years of experience in water resources related studies.
He was awarded the Hema Prabha-S N Gupta medal for the best Technical paper in environmental
studies in the year 1997 by the Institution of Engineers (India). His research interests are in the
sustainability assessment of H E schemes, river basin management and environmental flows. He has
published more than twenty research papers
E-mail address: gb@cwrdm.org
E. J. James has a Ph D from Calcutta University and is presently working as Director, Water Institute
and Dean (Research), Karunya University, Coimbatore, India. His Post Doctoral work was in estimation
of hydrologic variables (Institute of Hydrology Wallingford, U K).
His research interests are in Hydrology, Water Resources Engineering, Estuarine Dynamics, Wetland
Management and Coastal Engineering. He has published more than130 research papers.
Dr. James is a Fellow, Institution of Engineers (India); Life Member, Indian Water Resources Society;
Member, International Association of Hydrologic Sciences; Member, Indian Association of Hydraulic
Research; Member & International Water History Association and is a member of several international
and national committees
E-mail address: ejjames@karunya.edu
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