Summary:
Kerala is under flood threat as the Mullaperiyar Dam water rises to 136ft.
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Over the water lever rise in Mullaperiyar Dam, Tamil Nadu alerts Kerala on Monday.
The rise is at 136 feet to which Tamil Nadu public works department (PWD) officials sent out the first warning message to the Idukki district administration.
Situated at the confluence of Mullayar and Periyar rivers in Kerala, the gravity dam commissioned during the British Raj in 1895 is the lifeline of five southern districts of Tamil Nadu -- namely Madurai, Theni, Dindigul, Sivaganga, and Ramanathapuram.
The water is diverted from the Periyar river into the Vaigai dam for the drinking and irrigation needs of Tamil Nadu.
Though the dam is situated in Kerala, Tamil Nadu’s PWD still maintains the dam.
Mullaperiyar dam’s catchment areas have been receiving substantial rainfall after the southwest monsoon turned intense in Kerala.
On Sunday, the Periyar dam area received 10.4mm rainfall, while Thekkady received 10mm rainfall and the water level touched 136 feet of the dam’s total capacity of 152 feet.
The current storage level of the dam is 5,929 ft.