3 member team conducts safety checks on Mullaperiyar dam

THENI: A day after the water level in Mulleperiyar dam crossed the contentious 136 foot mark,a three member team, led by Central Water Resources Department Chief Engineer, conducted safety checks before the level is raised to 142 feet, as mandated by the Supreme Court.

The team comprised one member each from Tamil Nadu and Kerala, which have for long been at loggerheads over increasing the height, citing safety reasons.

Official sources said the Chief Engineer Nathan and the others began the checks prior to raising the level to 142 feet, as mandated by the Supreme Court.

Dam engineer Kannan said water was being released only for irrigation purposes. The inflow was 2,511 cusecs and discharge 1,786 cusces, he said.

The water level in the dam had crossed the 136 foot mark yesterday after a gap of more than three decades.

On May 7 this year, the Supreme Court had held that the 120-year-old dam is safe and allowed the Tamil Nadu government to raise the water level to 142 feet and ultimately to 152 feet after completing strengthening measures on the dam.

The Apex Court had also struck down a law promulgated by Kerala, declaring the dam as endangered and fixing the water level at 136 feet.

It had also pulled up the Kerala government for enacting a law which overruled its verdict of 2006 by which it had declared the dam safe and allowed the Tamil Nadu authorities to raise the water level.