Attorney General K.K. Venugopal informed the Supreme Court on Tuesday that the level of water in Mullaperiyar dam is 131.85 feet now and apprehensions of danger are unsubstantiated.
Appearing before a Bench led by Justice A.M. Khanwilkar, Mr. Venugopal, for the Central Water Commission, said the water is only 1.85 feet more than 130 feet. He said the water level has, on an average, been 123.21 feet for the past 10 years.
The court was hearing a plea by a resident of Idukki district in Kerala to lower the water level to 130 feet, saying there is a danger of earthquakes and floods in the area as the monsoon progresses in the State.
The court, however, adjourned the hearing on the request of the petitioner, Russel Joy.
Similar petition
The Tamil Nadu government has countered that the plea is infructuous. Mr. Joy has a similar petition pending in the Supreme Court since 2018, advocate G. Umapathy had submitted in the previous hearing.
Advocate Wills Mathews, for Mr. Joy, had said six districts in the State were under the threat of floods and earthquakes. The Bench had finally tagged the new plea along with the 2018 one.
