:A three-member sub-committee led by Central Water Commission executive engineer Umberji Harish Girish visited the Mullaperiyar dam on Thursday. The sub-committee was set up by the high power committee as per a Supreme Court order to report weekly on the day-to-day affairs at Mullaperiyar for the smooth implementation of the apex court order.
Kerala and Tamil Nadu should also be informed weekly on the developments there. The panel had last visited the Mullaperiyar dam on February 7 and Kerala had objected to the delay in the visit by the sub-committee. It is learnt that the panel also visited the sites for
digging the bore holes, which was continuing at the proposed site for a new dam.
The recent summer rain led to an increase in the water level in the Mullaperiyar dam after it reached to a very low level.
The water level had increased to 114.6 ft on Wednesday after it
fell to 111 ft. An official of the Tamil Nadu Public Works Deportment told The Hindu on Thursday that the inflow of water was 538 sq ft per second and Tamil Nadu was drawing a water level of 150 sq ft per second.
The water from the Mullaperiyar dam is used for storage at the Vaigai dam and its water level was 71 ft.
The water level had fallen to 36.5 ft.
Work on collecting the samples of rock and soil for a new dam is continuing. The samples are collected from the boreholes at a depth of 20 metres. Collection of samples from nearly three sites of the 13 sites identified for digging boreholes had been completed, said official sources.
After a meeting of the subcommittee here, George Daniel, executive engineer (irrigation), representing Kerala told media persons that lighting arrangements and concreting of the dam were done after the panel had last visited Mullaperiyar.
For strengthening the baby dam, Tamil Nadu will inform the high power committee to remove 23 trees there. Kerala representatives, however, said the permission of the Ministry of Environment and Forest was required as it was inside the Periyar Tiger Reserve. The Kerala representatives also said that there was no mention in the earlier suggestions that the road to Vallakadavu would be maintained for carrying materials to strengthen the baby dam. At the earlier request, it was asked only for the use of the road and no request for its maintenance was made, said Mr Daniel.
