Shutters of Mullaperiyar dam opened without warning; Kerala to lodge complaint with Central Water Commission

IDUKKI: Kerala Water Resources Minister Roshy Augustine on Tuesday said that the state has informed Tamil Nadu that water should be released from the Mullaperiyar Dam only during the day and that it was difficult to open the shutters at night. The minister said that the water level in Mullaperiyar was rising and that the RDO, Peermade DySP and Fire Force were ready to deal with the current situation. Tamil Nadu has so far opened nine shutters. He said 1.60 lakh litres of water was being released out of the dam every second.

The water level in the Mullaperiyar dam reached 142 feet last night. Following this, Tamil Nadu released water from the dam on a large scale without issuing a proper warning. When the water level in the dam rose, the water level in the Periyar rose by two feet and about 5 houses in the Manchumala region were flooded. The water level in the Periyar dropped after the amount of water released by Tamil Nadu decreased following a decrease in the flow of water.

Meanwhile, KSEB informed that there is no need to open the Idukki dam. According to the officials, the water level in the Idukki dam would not rise significantly despite the influx of excess water from the Mullaperiyar.