The Cochin International Airport suspended all flight operations till 2 pm Wednesday due to a rise in flood water level in and around the airport since early morning. The decision was taken at an emergency meeting held at the airport at 6 am today. Earlier at 3.30 am, the airport had decided to suspend arrival operations from 4 am to 7 am as a precautionary measure.
The flood situation got worse after the discharge of water from Idukki reservoir increased, which may further go up after Tamil Nadu released water from Mullaperiyar dam earlier this morning. After water level in Mullaperiyar dam rose to 140 ft, the Tamil Nadu government began releasing 4500 cubic meters of water per second since 2.45 am today. This discharge from the dam would flow down to Idukki reservoir, which is barely 3 ft to its full reservoir level of 2403 ft.