Mullaperiyar Dam Shutters to Open; Water to Be Released to Tamil Nadu

Theni: The shutters of the Mullaperiyar Dam will be opened today to release water for irrigation in Tamil Nadu. Around 200 cubic feet of water per second will be released for 120 days for the first-season paddy cultivation across 14,707 acres in the Cumbum Valley of Theni district.

The shutters are normally opened on June 1 to provide water for agricultural activities. However, the opening was delayed this year due to inadequate rainfall. The Tamil Nadu government has also ordered the release of an additional 150 cubic feet per second for drinking water requirements in the Madurai Corporation area.

Meanwhile, T.K. Sivarajan, who represented Keralam on the expert committee for the comprehensive safety inspection of the Mullaperiyar Dam, has been appointed as an expert member of a Tamil Nadu government committee responsible for inspecting the safety of dams in the state.

Sivarajan, a former Chief Engineer of the Central Water Commission, was removed from the central expert committee on June without Keralam's consent. He was replaced by former Odisha Special Secretary Ashutosh Das.

Sivarajan's appointment to the Tamil Nadu panel has raised concerns in Keralam, as he has detailed knowledge of the state's position and the various issues surrounding the Mullaperiyar Dam. His new role in the Tamil Nadu committee could have implications for Keralam's position in the long-running Mullaperiyar dispute.