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A view of Mullaperiyar Dam on Kerala-Tamil Nadu border at Kumily, near Idukki.
| Photo Credit: H. Vibhu
Amid widespread rain in catchment areas, the water level in the Mullaperiyar reservoir touched 138 feet (permissible level 142 ft) following which Public Works Department (PWD) engineers issued the second flood warning to Kerala on Thursday.
Tamil Nadu PWD engineers told reporters that till last month end, the level in the reservoir was around 134 feet. After the rainfall in the region, the storage level inched upward steadily that on November 9, it touched 136 ft after which the first flood call was issued to the neighbouring State.
Though 2,600 cusecs of water was being released towards the Tamil Nadu side through two shutters, the Kerala side had bigger shutters and hence the quantum of water discharged may be higher. As a precautionary measure, people living near the river bank in Idukki district have been instructed to stay away from the watercourse. As per the rule curve system, the water level in the Mullaperiyar dam can be stored up to 142 ft till November 30, the PWD officials said.
Farmers’ appeal
Farmers from five southern districts of Madurai, Theni, Dindigul, Ramanathapuram and Sivaganga appealed to the Kerala government to ensure that there was no panic created by mischief mongers on the social media. They said the sub-committee, which visited the site recently, had expressed total satisfaction on the safety of the dam.
Meanwhile, farmers’ association office-bearers urged the Tamil Nadu government to carry out the upkeep near the dam site and ensure that the security was enhanced in the larger public interest.
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