OPS asks Stalin to maintain Mullaiperiyar dam water level at 142 ft

CHENNAI: AIADMK 'coordinator' and former chief minister O Panneerselvam on Sunday urged the DMK government to maintain the water level at the Mullai Periyar dam at 142 feet as per the Supreme Court order.

The AIADMK leader also asked the state government to take measures to scrap the rule curve level in the reservoir, which was recently finalized by the Central Water Commission (CWC).

Rule curve is an initiative that assigns the storage or vacant space maintained in the Mullai Periyar dam at various times during the year and the measure also decides on wavering storage levels of the reservoir.

Stating that during the AIADMK regime under the late leader J Jayalalithaa, got the Apex Court order, it had had maintained water level at Mullai Periyar dam at 142 feet several times, Panneerselvam said. However, during the last one year after the DMK government came to power the water level in the reservoir was not maintained as per the court order.

Pointing out that soon after the water level in the Mullai Periyar dam reached 137.50 feet due to southwest monsoon rains, the Kerala government had asked the Tamil Nadu government to release the water, the AIADMK leader said the state government released 534 TMC water without consulting the farmers in the State.

Claiming that the water from the Mullai Periyar dam will not reach the Ramanathapuram and Sivaganga districts of the state due to the implementation of the rule curve, the AIADMK 'coordinator' said "this would bring severe drought in those areas".

Panneerselvam also asked the DMK government to inform the people when the state has allowed the implementation of the rule curve and when it was permitted. "Therefore, the chief minister should immediately intervene and release the timetable of rule curve for the farmers", he said adding "as the rule curve is expected to affect the farmers, the state government should move the Supreme court in this regard".