Pinarayi Vijayan urges Stalin to draw water from Mullaperiyar dam as levels rise

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan wrote to his Tamil Nadu counterpart M K Stalin, urging his government to draw maximum quantities of water from the Mullaperiyar dam as reservoir levels inched closer to the 142-foot mark after heavy rain pounded the area.

Vijayan made the appeal as water levels in the dam, situated on the banks of Periyar river in Kerala’s Idukki district but managed by Tamil Nadu, crossed 137.05 feet on Sunday night.

“With the current inflow it is feared that the reservoir level may reach 142 ft once the torrential rain intensifies. Hence, there would arise an urgent need for the gradual release of water from Mullaperiyar dam through the tunnel to Tamil Nadu,” Vijayan said in his letter.