THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala has asked Tamil Nadu to maintain the water level in the Mullaperiyar dam at 137 feet, considering the flood threat in the state. The water level in the dam has crossed 137.5ft while the maximum level set by the Central Water Commission for the month is 138ft.
“We have asked Tamil Nadu to draw maximum water (2,700 cusecs) from the Mullaperiyar dam in order to store more if it rains heavily in the coming days,” Water Resources Minister Roshy Augustine told TNIE following a meeting with the Tamil Nadu authorities on Tuesday. “The members of the Supreme Court-appointed supervisory committee who attended the meeting also directed Tamil Nadu to draw maximum water,” he said.
The Met Department has forecast heavy rain triggered by a low pressure that is expected to form over the Bay of Bengal and a cyclonic circulation over the Arabian Sea. Roshy Augustine said in case the dam spillways are opened, the state is equipped to tackle the situation. He allayed the fears of people living downstream.
“The state recently raised the shutters of Idukki dam to maintain the water level at 2,395ft against the maximum capacity of 2,403.5ft. It will allow Idukki dam to store the excess water released from Mullaperiyar if its spillways are opened,” he said.
Fixing the water level in Mullaperiyar at 137ft will give more storage space for both dams. Considering the loss of lives and destruction caused to the properties in Kerala during the 2018 flood, the apex court had directed the authorities to maintain the water level in Mullaperiyar at 139.9ft.
The state government had on Sunday urged the Supreme Court to lower it to 139 feet. Earlier, the state had demanded that the storage should be maintained at 136ft while Tamil Nadu has been insisting on a 142-ft ceiling based on an earlier order issued by the apex court.
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