Kerala accusing TN of Mullaperiyar water release false, says Palanisamy

Chennai: Day after Kerala accused Tamil Nadu’s sudden release of water from the Mullaperiyar dam as one of the reasons for the devastating floods in the state, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palanisamy on Friday termed the accusation “false and baseless”.

“Kerala's accusations towards Tamil Nadu are false and baseless. If you say, excess water was discharged from one dam (Mullaperiyar) then how did water reach all parts of Kerala? The excess discharge of water from 80 dams caused the flood in Kerala,” Palanisamy told the media.

“Water from Mullaperiyar Dam was released one week after the floods struck Kerala. It was not done immediately after the floods. Three warnings were issued, first at 139 feet, second at 141 feet and third warning at 142 feet. Water was released in a phased manner,” the Tamil Nadu chief minister added.

The Pinarayi Vijayan government had told the Supreme Court that as the water level breached 137 feet mark at Mullaperiyar Dam, authorities in Kerala decided to evacuate people who lived in the dam's downstream.

The affidavit filed by the Chief Secretary stated that out of the total population of about 3.48 crore, more than 54 lakh or one-sixth of Kerala’s population had been directly affected by the floods.

Also Read: Floods due to sudden water release from Mullaperiyar Dam: Kerala to SC

The affidavit further said that in the wake of prior alerts by its engineers, Kerala's Water Resources Secretary had written to her counterpart in Tamil Nadu and the Chairman of the Supervisory Committee on Mullaperiyar dam requesting controlled release of water without waiting for the water level in the reservoir to reach its full level. However, no positive assurance in this regard was received from Tamil Nadu even after repeated requests.