IDUKKI/KOTTAYAM: Water level in the Mullaperiyar Dam reached 139.7 ft against its permissible limit of 142 ft on Thursday. The inflow was 1,338 Cubic feet per seconds (CUSECS) while the outflow to Tamil Nadu was only 456 Cusecs.
The catchment area did not receive any rainfall in the last 24 hours.
Even as the water level is inching towards the 140 level mark, there seems to be no move from Tamil Nadu to either release water, as decided in the earlier meeting, or to increase the intake.
New Tunnel Sought
The Mullaperiyar Theera Samrakshana Samithi, a council of residents living near the dam, on Thursday demanded that the government should take initiative to construct a new tunnel from the dam at a particular elevation so that water may be released when the dam was under strain.
Earlier, the Supreme Court had suggested this measure as an alternative to a new dam. Council’s vice-chairman Shahul Hameed said a share of dam water should be released through the proposed tunnel so as to address the water woes of people living in the region. The council also pitched for signing of a new contract for the generation of hydro-electric power, saying it was inevitable to lower the dam’s water level.