Tamil Nadu opened nine spillway shutters of the Mullaperiyar dam releasing 7,341.06 cusecs of water to the Periyar by 6 p.m. on Sunday. At 5 p.m. two shutters were opened to 30 cm and at 5.30 p.m., five shutters were raised to 90 cm.

In the past week, Tamil Nadu had released a huge quantum of water to the Periyar at night. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had written to his Tamil Nadu counterpart demanding that water be not released at night.

After the water level fell at Mullaperiyar dam on Sunday morning, Tamil Nadu closed all spillway shutters except one. There was heavy rainfall in the Chokkenpetty forest area in the afternoon resulting in increased inflow. Though water level was 141.95 ft at 4 p.m., considering the chances of it reaching the upper rule level of 142 ft, it was decided to open more spillway shutters.

Blue alert at Idukki

Meanwhile, the water level fell to 2,400.70 ft (blue alert level) in the Idukki reservoir at 4 p.m. on Sunday. The orange alert level is 2,401 ft and upper rule level 2,403 ft. A Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) dam safety official said the water level was expected to decline further in the coming days.

With the water level in a safe position, the annual maintenance works at the Moolamattom power house has begun. He said that due to the increased power generation to utilise the water in the wake of a long spell delayed the annual maintenance works of the generators.

In 90 days

The maintenance works are expected to be completed within 90 days. The works will be completed before the peak production season, he said.

Meanwhile, the 24-hour fast staged by Dean Kuriakose, MP, at Cheruthoni demanding a new dam at Mullaperiyar concluded on Sunday. Former Water Resources Minister P.J. Joseph inaugurated the valedictory function. Mr. Joseph said the dam was on an earthquake-prone area and in heavy rainfall, the water could overflow. He said public opinion should be mobilised for a new dam at Mullaperiyar.