No cause for concern even if 7,000 cubic feet water released from Mullaperiyar: Kerala Water Minister

PTI, Oct 31, 2021, 2:22 PM IST

Idukki: Kerala Water Resources Minister Roshy Augustine on Sunday said even if 7,000 cubic feet of water is released by Tamil Nadu from Mullaperiyar dam, there is no cause for concern as arrangements have been made to keep the areas in its downstream safe.

Speaking to reporters here, the Minister said 2,974 cubic feet of water is currently flowing through the spillway and 2,360 cubic feet of water is being carried to Tamil Nadu and as a result, the water level has dropped to 138.85 feet.

Agriculture Minister P Prasad, who also visited the dam site, told reporters that according to the Central Water Commission-approved Rule Curve, the water level has to be maintained at 138 feet, but it has not been done.

This would be brought to the attention of the Supreme Court on the next date of hearing of the Mullaperiyar issue on November 11, both ministers said.

They also said that while the government was not opposed to providing water to Tamil Nadu for its agricultural needs, safety interests of Kerala too have to be kept in mind.

They also said that Tamil Nadu’s Public Works’ Chief Engineer will arrive in Thekkady on Sunday to discuss further action.

Shutters of the dam in Kerala were raised further by Tamil Nadu on Saturday morning after the water level in the reservoir rose to 138.90 feet.

The three spillway shutters were raised to a height of 70 cm each and 1,675 cusecs of water was released to the downstream.

Shutters of the dam were raised on Friday as the water level in the reservoir crossed 138 feet.

Tamil Nadu government officials had raised the spillway shutters 3 and 4 of the 126-year old dam by 0.3 metres around 7.30 AM on Friday.

Later at 9 PM on the same day, one more shutter of the dam was raised as the water level in the 126-year old dam continued to rise.

Mullaperiyar dam, built in 1895 on the Periyar river in Idukki district of Kerala, is operated by the Tamil Nadu government for its irrigation and power generation needs.

Kerala is insisting on building a new dam, citing safety concerns, but Tamil Nadu is against it, saying the present structure is strong.