CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Tuesday informed his Kerala counterpart Pinarayi Vijayan that the Mullaperiyar Dam is safe in all aspects.
Earlier on August 5, the Kerala Chief Minister wrote to Stalin seeking his intervention in regulating water discharge from Mullaperiyar dam, where the water level has gone beyond the permissible level of 136 ft.
In a reply to that letter, Stalin said, "I wish to reassure that Mullaperiyar Dam is safe in all aspects and flood regulation of the dam is being done as per the Rule curve and gate operation schedule approved by Central Water Commission in February 2021."
"Our dam management team is very focused on the precautionary measures to be taken on time for ensuring the safety of the people residing downstream of the Mullaperiyar Dam," Stalin further said.
Vijayan said in his letter to Stalin, "As you are aware, the State of Kerala has been experiencing heavy rainfall for the last few days. Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has already issued a red alert in several districts of Kerala, including Idukki, and the water level of Mullaperiyar Dam is nearing 136 feet. If this situation persists, there will be a drastic rise in the water level in the dam due to the heavy inflow into the dam."
Vijayan also urged the TN CM: "Kindly give directions to the authorities concerned to ensure that the outflow from the dam is more than the inflow, taking into consideration the heavy rainfall in the catchment area of Mullaperiyar Dam."
However, accusing the ruling government, former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, O Panneerselvam said, "When AIADMK was in power, the Mullaperiyar dam was held up to 142 feet several times but this system was not followed for two years after DMK came to power."
Following this, there have been reports that the Tamil Nadu government has released 534 cubic feet of water per second from the Mullaperiyar dam to the Kerala region without consulting the farmers of Tamil Nadu.
Farmers from Madurai, Dindigul, Ramanathapuram and Sivaganga districts of Tamil Nadu who benefit from the Mullaperiyar dam claim that the "rule curve" is the reason why the Mullaperiyar dam does not store water up to 142 feet. The agricultural unions have also strongly condemned this "rule curve" provision.
This "rule curve" rule is said to be the reason for the release of water from the Mullaperiyar dam. A rule curve is a measure that defines the storage or the vacant space maintained in a reservoir at different times of the year.