Led by the Central Water Commission Executive Engineer Umberji Harish Girish, the five-member subcommittee, constituted by the Supreme Court-appointed High Power Supervisory Panel for Mullaperiyar Dam, inspected the main dam, raised shutters in spillway and baby dam here on Friday.
After collecting readings, including inflow and discharge and seepage and storage levels in the main dam and baby dam, the committee checked the condition of spillway shutters and operated fifth and ninth shutters.
At a regular meeting convened at the Supreme Court panel office near First Mile area in Thekkadi, the chairman said that two shutters of the spillway were operated. The condition of the shutters was important to maintain the permitted level in the dam and operate them in case of emergency.
The chairman announced that the three-member Supreme Court panel had planned to visit the dam on July 7 to assess the situation.
The panel led by new chairman B.R.K. Pillai and new Tamil Nadu Public Works Department Secretary Prabhakaran will visit the dam and hold meetings to chalk out future course of action. (The former SC Panel Chairman LAV Nathan retired from service recently.)
The subcommittee decided to discuss future plan as per the direction of the panel and concluded the meeting.
Water level in Periyar dam stood at 114.5 feet with an inflow of around 2,450 cusecs, 250 cusecs of water has been discharged into the Periyar river to meet drinking water needs of the southern districts.
The committee members, including Kerala Irrigation Department Executive Engineer George Daniel and SDO Livens and Tamil Nadu PWD Madurai Division Executive Engineer A. Madhavan and Sub-Divisional Officer (in-charge) Sam Irvin, accompanied the committee chairman. (For the first time, water level touched 142 feet in Periyar dam in the early hour of December 7, 2015.)
