The Supreme Court on Friday asked the National Committee for Crisis Management and the disaster management sub-committee to explore the possibility of reducing the water level at Mullaperiyar dam to 139 feet.

The top court also directed the Kerala government to take appropriate steps to ensure safety of people when water is released from the dam, PTI reported.

Meanwhile, the Centre informed the Supreme Court that the sub-committee has decided to bring down the water level in the dam by two to three feet in a phased manner, according to Bar & Bench.

Advertisement

The water level at the dam reached 142 feet, the reservoir’s maximum capacity, on Wednesday. It stayed at that level on Thursday morning as well. The court was hearing a petition urging it to issue directions on water management at the dam. Though the dam is located in Kerala, it is operated by Tamil Nadu.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court asked the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre and the state governments of Kerala and Tamil Nadu to avoid addressing the flood situation in an adversarial manner.