Tamil Nadu CM Edappadi Palainasamy said today that Kerala's accusations towards Tamil Nadu are false and baseless. Kerala has maintained that the the water released from the Mulllaperiyar dam by Tamil Nadu caused the flooding in Kerala.


"If you say, excess water was discharged from one dam (Mullaperiyar) then how did water reach all parts of Kerala? The excess discharge of water from 80 dams caused flood in Kerala.

 
"Water from Mullaperiyar Dam was released one week after the floods struck Kerala. It was not done immediately after the floods. Three warnings were issued, first at at 139 feet. second at 141 feet and third warning at 142 feet. Water was released in a phased manner," the CM said.


The Supreme Court today ordered that the water level at the Mullaperiyar dam be maintained at 139 feet till August 31 keeping in mind the grave devastation that has taken place due to the unprecedented floods in Kerala.


A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud considered the Centre's submission that the sub-committee of the Mullaperiyar dam had met on August 23 and directed the Tamil Nadu government to ensure that the water level is maintained at 139 feet, which is two feet below the permissible limit fixed by the apex court.


As floodwaters recede in Kerala, the focus is now on taking care of the over 10.40 lakh people staying in relief camps and rehabilitating people whose houses have been destroyed in the deluge. People from all over the country and abroad have pitched in to help the state by offering material and also cash donations to the Chief Minister's Disaster Relief Fund (CMDRF).


A total of Rs 539 crore has been received till last night, official sources said. Though people from relief camps have started returning to their homes, more than 10.40 lakh people were still in 2,770 camps across the state.