With the water level in the Mullaperiyar dam reaching 135 ft on Tuesday, a second alert was sounded in the residential area on the downstream of the Periyar river. The total capacity of the dam is 136 ft and the water level was steady, said a senior official of the KSEB who was camping at Mullaperiyar.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu has nominally increased the discharge of water from the dam in the wake of a decline in rainfall. The water level in the Vaigai dam to where the discharged water reaches was also nearing its full capacity, raising fears of additional water reaching the Idukki dam when the full capacity is reached.
There was no major rainfall in the catchment area of Idukki dam, but the water level has still increased to 2,377.4 ft on Tuesday from the previous day's record of 2,377.18 ft. The official also said that since there was no major rain fall in the catchment area of Mullaperiyar, the water level was steady and a sudden discharge of water from the dam was unlikely.
The main towns on the downstream of the Mullaperiyar are Vandiperiyar, Karuntharuvi Chappathu and Upputhara.
A revenue official said that all precautionary measures have been taken in case the water from the Mullaperiyar dam is released and the third alert will be made when the water level reaches its full capacity. A meeting held at the Peerumade taluk office had prepared an action plan to be taken and the report was handed over to the District Collector.
