SC asks TN to maintain Mullaperiyar dam's water level at 139 ft till Aug 31

The Supreme Court Thursday ordered thaat 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.

The bench made it clear that it would confine itself to the aspect of disaster management and said that the decision to lower the water limit in the dam has been taken in view of the devastating deluge in Kerala.

The observation came after Tamil Nadu government alleged that "it could be a part of a sinister design" to circumvent the apex court's decision fixing the permissible limit.

Kerala floods: Govt inherited policy of refusing foreign aid, says Alphons

In refusing foreign aid for the rehabilitation of flood-hit Kerala, the Centre has followed a 14-year convention it "inherited" from previous governments of refusing such assistance in the face of natural calamities, Union minister Alphons Kannanthanam said on Thursday.

The government is under fire for refusing aid for Kerala from countries like the UAE and Thailand. Alphons said this was a policy that was followed by the current government since former prime minister Manmohan Singh had refused aid from foreign countries in 2004 during the devastating Tsunami.

"A policy decision was taken by the Manmohan Singh government in December, 2004 in the aftermath of the Tsunami and that policy has been continued with for the last 14 years. This is something we have inherited," he told reporters here.

Earlier, among others, Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac had criticised the BJP-led government over the refusal of aid and said the rain ravaged southern state had asked the Centre for a financial support of Rs 22 billion, but was granted only Rs 6 billion.

Kerala floods: State may push Centre to accept Rs 7-bn aid from UAE

The Kerala government on Wednesday said if the Centre decides to refuse an offer of Rs 7 billion as flood relief from Kerala — as reported in some news reports — it should compensate the state for it.

Chief Minister (CM) Pinarayi Vijayan said, “We have heard there are some obstacles in receiving this fund. We will discuss with the government and go to the prime minister.”

According to the National Disaster Management Policy (NDMP), 2016, the Centre can take a decision on whether or not to take relief funds offered by another country. The Centre has released Rs 6 billion for the state, even though Kerala had demanded Rs 22 billion.

“We did not ask the United Arab Emirates to give us money; they offered Rs 7 billion voluntarily. Now, the Union government says it is below our dignity to accept foreign aid,” said Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac in a tweet, adding the NDMP allows for international aid in case of severe calamity. 

Heavy rains, landslides claim 22 lives in Kerala in past 24 hours

The heavy south-west monsoon and landslides have resulted in the deaths of 22 people in Kerala in the past 24 hours.

On Thursday, the state government opened the Idukki Dam's shutters for the first time in around 26 years, as a trial run, causing flooding on the banks of the river.

According to reports, at least 22 people, including 10 in the Idukki district, have died in various rain-related incidents, including landslides, on Thursday. The Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) has said that arrival operations have been stopped from 1.10 pm on Thursday as a precautionary measure.

The water level in the Idukki Dam has been increasing even after the Cheruthoni Dam's shutter was opened almost 50 centimetres for close to two hours from 1 pm.