With the water level in the Mullaperiyar dam rising to 135.4 ft on Thursday, a five-member subcommittee visited the dam.
Committee member George Daniel (Executive Engineer, Kerala Irrigation Department) told presspersons here that seepage of water through blocks 10, 11, 17, and 18 was continuing. Besides this, water was seeping down from the top of the dam where rainwater had collected. The seepage had decreased to 87.27 litres a minute as compared to 125 litres a minute during the last visit of the subcommittee.
This could be owing to Tamil Nadu carrying out work to fill the seepage before the visit of the three-member apex committee on November 3.
Mediapersons from the two States were not allowed to visit the dam by Tamil Nadu officials.
Mr. Daniel said the visit was a routine one to inform the two States on the seepage level and other details as directed by the apex committee.
Heavy rain in TNOn Thursday, the water level increased by 1.4 ft from the level the previous day. Heavy rain in Tamil Nadu contributed to full capacity level of the dams in the downstream, which resulting in poor intake from the Mullaperiyar dam.
Tamil Nadu on Thursday was drawing water at a rate of 457 cubic feet per second, where as the inflow into the dam was 2,957 cubic feet per second. The total reservoir level was 5,942 million cubic feet.
During the southwest monsoon, the water level rose to 133 ft and Tamil Nadu had increased water intake, resulting in a minor decrease in the level. Last year, the water had almost reached full capacity level (136 ft before the Supreme Court raised it to 142 ft). To regulate the water level, Tamil Nadu had increased the water intake as the water in the Idukki reservoir in the downstream of the Periyar had almost reached full capacity level.
