Raising concerns over the safety of the 116-year-old Mullaperiyar Dam, the water level in the reservoir touched 134 ft on Monday. An alert has been sounded for people living on the river banks downstream. The permitted water level of the dam is 136 ft.
“The water touched 134 ft after heavy rain on Sunday, which was recorded as 56 mm. Now only 0.5 tmc is needed for the dam to reach its full capacity,” said Mullaperiyar Cell member James Wilson.
If rains continue, the reservoir will overflow by the end of this week. During the last four days the reservoir received an additional 0.42 tmc water after Tamil Nadu took its share. Tamil Nadu has been taking 1,767 cusecs of water per day while there’s an average inflow of 3,000 cusecs to the reservoir during the last four days.
The rising water level has raised fear among people staying near the reservoir. The district administration has taken measures to ensure the safety of people.
Meanwhile, Kerala will bring the new developments due to rising water level before the Supreme Court. “The Chief Secretary has spoken to his counterpart in Tamil Nadu. We have requested Tamil Nadu to draw as much water as possible from the reservoir,” Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said in Thiruvananthapuram, adding that though an alert has been issued, there is no need for people to panic.
Ministers Aryadan Mohammad and Adoor Prakash said at Vazhathope that the Government has asked Tamil Nadu to draw more water to maintain safe water level.