Farmers and political groups are insisting that the level of the Mullai Periyar dam in Kerala, India, be raised from its present revised level of 41.5m to the original 46m.
More than 350 farmers joined a protest led by President S. Gunasekaran of India’s Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam group and Communist Party of India District Secretary P. Sethuraman.
The two leaders are eager for an agreement to be reached on the water storage issue between the Kerala and Tamil Nadu governments.
Tamil Nadu’s Bharatiya Janata party has also voiced its request for the storage level to be raised, with the party’s general secretary saying the issue may be tabled for discussion with the Central government.
Mullai Periyar dam’s storage level was lowered in the 1970s and has remained at 41.5m ever since, despite the structure undergoing an expensive rehabilitation during that time. The extra water would benefit farmers by providing more irrigation.