Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has written to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam seeking urgent measures to bring down the water level in the Mullaperiyar dam.
A press note issued by the Chief Minister’s Office here on Friday said Mr. Chandy, in his letter, pointed out that water level in the dam had been remaining above 136 ft for the past fortnight.
One of the 13 spillway gates of the dam was in disrepair. Work had been on for the past two weeks to repair it.
Once the monsoon rain intensifies, the water level in the dam would rise further. The people downstream were living in fear because of all this, he said.
Vaigai reservoirThe Chief Minister said the water level could be brought down if the reservoirs of Mullaperiyar and Vaigai were managed well.
As much as 3 tmc ft water could be stored in Vaigai.
The water level could also be brought down by allowing maximum quantity of water to flow through the tunnel from the dam.
Tamil Nadu would not sustain any loss of water by doing so, the Chief Minister said and urged Mr. Panneerselvam to personally intervene in the matter and issue appropriate instructions to the officials concerned urgently.
Mr. Chandy also drew the attention of the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister to the letters written by Kerala Chief Secretary E.K. Bharat Bhushan to the Tamil Nadu Public Works Secretary and to the Dam Supervisory Committee in the matter.
Engineers preventedA Correspondent writes from Idukki: A team of Kerala engineers, led by Mullaperiyar sub-committee member George Daniel, proceeding to the Mullaperiyar dam was prevented by officials of Tamil Nadu at Thekkady on Friday Morning.
However, they were later given permission and inspected the dam and spillway shutters.
Mr. Daniel told The Hindu that heavy rain prevented them from collecting the seepage level. However, they inspected the spillway shutters.
One of the spillway shutters (No. 13) under repair had not been rectified, Mr. Daniel said adding that they returned by 4 p.m. The sub-committee was formed by the high-power monitoring committee appointed by the Supreme Court to implement its order on the Mullaperiyar dam and inform the two States regarding the situation at the dam on a weekly basis.
Meeting in capitalMeanwhile, Additional District Magistrate V.R. Mohanan Pillai said after a review meeting that all steps had been taken to face any emergency situation and 1,000 CFLs would be distributed to local self-government institutions on Saturday.
The ADM said he was in contact with the government and the State Disaster Management Cell. The areas to be opened for rehabilitation and evacuation, if needed, had all been prepared, he said adding that there was no emergency situation as of now.
Steps had been taken for coordinated activities between hospitals, police, and the disaster management council. A final decision on the level of security would be prepared at a special ministerial meeting on Mullaperiyar in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday. The water level in the Idukki dam downstream is also increasing, though short by nearly 17 ft of its full reservoir capacity. The water released once the Mullaperiyar dam reaches 142 ft will reach Idukki through the spillway shutters.
