Tamil Nadu issued the third and final flood warning as the water level in the Mullaperiyar dam reached 142 ft on Tuesday at 10 a.m. The maximum storage level as per the apex court order is 142 ft.
After the water level reached the maximum allowed storage, Tamil Nadu increased the tunnel discharge. The tunnel discharge was 1,867 cusecs and the average inflow 1,761 cusecs at 6 p.m.
Sources said Tamil Nadu increased the tunnel discharge to avoid a sudden opening of spillway shutters when the water level touched 142 ft. “Tamil Nadu aims to maintain the maximum level of 142 ft on possible days. In the past 24 days, Tamil Nadu was maintaining water level above 140 ft in the dam and it was meant to give the impression that the dam is safe,” said the source.
Tamil Nadu issued the first warning when the water level in the dam touched 140 ft on December 3 and the second flood warning when the water level crossed 141 ft on December 14.