Shutters of Mullaperiyar dam opened as water level reaches 137.50 feet

The Kerala government had requested Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin to ensure that surplus water was not released during night like the last time.

The PWD engineers have released 534 cusecs of water from the Mullaperiyar reservoir at 1 p.m. on Friday after the storage level reached 137.50 feet (permissible level 142 ft).

As per the rule curve theory, till August 10, the engineers said that the reservoir level can be 137.50 ft. Hence, as the water level reached 136 ft on Thursday, the first flood warning was issued. As the inflow into the dam continued to be heavy, the water had to be released, they added.

At 1 p.m., 534 cusecs of water was released through six shutters and by 5 p.m., four more shutters were opened and a total of 1,870 cusecs of water was released during the period in a phased manner, the engineers said and added that 2,160 cusecs of water was released into Tamil Nadu side so as to ensure that the storage level was maintained as per the rule curve theory.

A spokesman from the Idukki district administration office told reporters that from the time the Tamil Nadu government officials had announced the release of water, people living along the Periyar river were alerted to move to safe places. The officials had also positioned personnel from the Disaster Management department, Fire and Rescue Service, Revenue and police along Vattakadavu, Peermedu, Sapathu and Ayyappan Temple, he added.

The Kerala government had requested Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin to ensure that surplus water was not released during night like the last time. Hence, the PWD engineers opened the shutters at 1 p.m., the officials at the site said and Kerala Water Resources Minister Rosy Augustine and senior officials visited the spots and reviewed the situation.

Though the farmers from the five districts of Tamil Nadu including Theni, Dindigul, Madurai, Sivaganga and Ramanathapuram have appealed to the State government to store water up to 142 feet (permissible level), the officials have explained to them about the rule curve theory.