The Hindu : Kerala News : Rain relents; water level at Mullaperiyar rises to 136.2 ft.

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 31, 2007
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Kerala

Kerala

Rain relents; water level at Mullaperiyar rises to 136.2 ft.

K.A. Martin

Administration urges people to take precautionary measures

Collector inspects the dam to assess situation
Tamil Nadu officials also visit the dam

KUMiLY (Idukki): The water level in the Mullaperiyar dam rose to a recent record of 136.2 feet on Tuesday as the district administration issued warnings to people living on both sides of river Periyar to take precautionary measures.

District Collector Ashok Kumar Singh visited the Mullaperiyar dam in the evening on Tuesday to take stock of the water level at the dam. He visited Chapptah, Upputhara, Vandiperiyar and Vallakkadavu areas, the most affected by the rise in the level of water in the dam.

Mr. Singh held meetings with revenue officials and leaders of various panchayats, including Vandiperiyar.

Officials of the Mullaperiyar special division of Tamil Nadu Public Works Department also visited the dam to take a look at the situation at Manalar, Upper Manalar, Kumarikkualm, Vellimala and Thannikkudi, the catchment areas of the dam.

With the rain relenting on Tuesday, the water level in the dam rose just 0.2 feet from Monday’s level. The level of water draining to the nearby Idukki dam from Mullaperiyar was stated to be 93 cubic feet per second on Tuesday.

People reluctant

The District Collector said that despite the warnings issued early on Monday, people were not moving out of their residences along the areas that were under threat. He said that people at Vanidperiyar, Upputhara and Manjumala areas had been warned early about the rising water level.

Mr. Singh said the panchayats had been instructed to light up all the streetlights to ensure that safety works were carried out efficiently in case of an emergency. Incessant rain on Monday had raised the water level to more than 136 feet in the Mullaperiyar dam and water started to flow past three of its 13 spillways early on the day.

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