Fresh minor tremors have been reported from early this morning from the dams-bound Idukki-Kallar region even as the safety of the century-old Mullapperiyar in the neighbourhood is being hotly contested.
Mild tremors of a magnitude of 2.8 on the Richter scale were felt at 5.27 a.m., followed by stronger aftershocks of M3.2 in parts of Idukki district.
The tremors were felt over an entire wide swathe of geography including at Chappath, Moolamattom, Peerumedu, Valakode, Vandiperiyar, Velliamattom and Upputhura.
The tremors represent the 23rd and 24th time the earth has shaken in the region over the past nine months, according to sources, although mostly mild in terms of intensity.
But they have come at a time when the Kerala Government has made a strong pitch for decommissioning the Mullapperiyar dam and proposed a new dam to be built even while seeking to protect the interests of neighbouring Tamil Nadu whose dry riparian districts draw water from the reservoir.
In the aftermath of the latest shaking, a few buildings are reported to have developed cracks in Peerumedu and Upputhura.
Tremors were also felt in parts of the neighbouring district of Kottayam in Kerala at Adukkam, Erattupetta and Poonjar.