Mantain status quo on Mullaperiyar: Kerala CM

Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 11 (UNI) Kerala Chief minister V S Achuthanandan today urged his Tamil Nadu counterpart M Karunanidhi to take steps to maintain status quo on the dispute over increasing the storage level in the Mullaperiyar dam.

In a letter, Mr Achuthanandan said a chief ministerial-level discussion would be held to solve contentious issues.

Though Kerala was not against sharing Periyar water with the neighbouring state, increasing the storage level beyond 136 ft posed a serious threat to the people living downstream, he said.

About 600 hectares of forest in the Periyar tiger reserve would be submerged if the water level was increased. The government could not turn a blind eye to such issues. At the same time, the state was not opposed to constructing a new dam in place of the 111-year-old dam to ensure supply of water to the neighbouring state, he added.

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