Water level in Mullaiperiyar Dam will touch 142 feet on Nov 30

In a statement issued here, Duraimurugan said as per the norms, water in Mullaiperiyar Dam could be stored upto 142 feet on November 30 and the storage level would be reached on that day when the rainy season is expected to end.

He said as per the rule curve on water storage levels, the water storage level at the dam was 138.75 feet against the 138 feet as per the rule curve, and hence the state was forced to release excess water.

Duraimurugan said the storage norms were issued recently and the old timers were not aware of this.

On the issue of felling of trees downstream of Mullaiperiyar Baby Dam, Duraimurugan said Kerala Forests and Wildlife Department Deputy Director A.P. Sunil Babu on November 6, had communicated to Tamil Nadu government about the permission to cut 15 trees.

The trees were to be cut down as a part of strengthening the Baby Dam. The Tamil Nadu government had asked for permission to cut 23 trees.

Duraimurugan said the permission to the Tamil Nadu government to cut 15 trees was issued by Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) and Chief Wildlife Warden, Bennichan Thomas, and wondered whether the official would write to another state without the knowledge of the state's Forests Minister.

He said that on a goodwill basis, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K.Stalin had thanked his Kerala counterpart Pinarayi Vijayan for the permission to fell the trees.

Following Stalin's letter, the Kerala government revoked the permission to cut the trees.

Kerala and Tamil Nadu have been at loggerheads over the dam, built under an 1886 accord between the then Maharaja of Travancore and the erstwhile British Raj.

Though the dam is located in Kerala, it is owned, maintained and operated by Tamil Nadu.

The Supreme Court May 5, 2014 had decreed in favour of Tamil Nadu and permitted the state to raise the water level in the Mullaiperiyar Dam to 142 feet from its earlier storage level of 136 feet.

In 2012, the Supreme Court empowered committee had said the Mullaiperiyar Dam is structurally safe.

Even in 2006, the apex court had said that Kerala cannot obstruct Tamil Nadu from increasing the water level in the dam to 142 feet and from carrying out repair works.

The Kerala government wants to build a new dam so that its control will be with it.