Kerala asks Tamil Nadu to maintain storage at 137 ft in Periyar dam

Kerala made the demand as the water level in the over-a-century-old dam reached 137.60 feet. Tamil Nadu, on the other hand, was of the view that water should be retained in the dam till the 142 feet level.

This discussion of the high level committee meeting held on Tuesday in view of the rising water levels of the dam, was made public by Kerala Water Resources Minister Roshy Augustine on his Facebook post. In his post, the Minister said that in 2018 the Supreme Court had directed that the water level in the dam be maintained at 139.99 feet.

However, since the situation is worse now due to the ongoing rainy season, if water is drained from Mullaiperiyar, it would flow into Idukki dam where in the present situation huge quantities of water cannot be stored, he said. The Minister said that Kerala also asked the Tamil Nadu representative to store water from the Mullaiperiyar in Vaigai and Madurai.

Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, V D Satheesan, wrote to Chief Minister MK Stalin stating that both states need to jointly find a permanent and scientific solution to the problem.

Cauvery Neeravari Nigam issues flood warning

The Cauvery Neeravari Nigam Limited has issued a flood warning asking the people living on the banks of river Cauvery to be alert in the wake of Krishna Raja Sagar Reservoir almost reaching its maximum capacity as a large volume of water has flown into the water body. The alert states that a surplus water varying from 10,000 to 20,000 cusecs is likely to be released any moment as the level in the KRS is rising to its full storage due to heavy rains in the catchment area. The water level at KRS has reached 123.40 ft as against the maximum level of 124.80 ft.