Tamil Nadu has “dissented” from an advisory issued by a Supreme Court-nominated expert committee to reduce water storage in the Mullaperiyar dam by two to three feet. As of Friday morning, water in the dam had risen to 141.2 feet, just a few inches short of the 142-feet ceiling mandated by an existing SC order, a Water Resources Ministry official present at the meeting said. The meeting in Delhi was attended by senior officials from the Union Water Resources Ministry, Central Water Commission, Chief Secretaries of Kerala and Tamil Nadu and State water board officials. Another official at the meeting told The Hindu that Tamil Nadu had dissented because they were afraid it would “set a precedent — of the State being forced to release water in the future too if demanded by Kerala.” Moreover, with the Idukki dam downstream also now having released water, more water from the Mullaperiyar could worsen Kerala’s flood problems, the Tamil Nadu officials reportedly argued. The Hindu couldn’t independently verify this. “Ultimately, Kerala and Tamil Nadu have to abide by the Supreme Court order but Tamil Nadu has said its dissent be recorded,” an official said.
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CONTEXT: Recently, an eight-member committee, appointed by the government for suggesting measures for effective implementation …