Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has urged his Tamil Nadu counterpart MK Stalin to draw water from the Mullaperiyar Dam, reported The Hindu.

In a letter to Stalin on Sunday, Vijayan said that 2,109 cusecs of water had accumulated in the dam even after Tamil Nadu had diverted water. The Kerala chief minister pointed out that if the inflow continued and the rain worsened, the water level in the reservoir would cross the safety mark of 142 feet.

Mullaperiyar Dam is located in Kerala’s Idukki district and is managed by the Tamil Nadu government, reported The News Minute. The dam was constructed in 1895 to meet the water requirements of Tamil Nadu’s Madurai district.

In his letter, Vijayan said that Kerala officials had told the Tamil Nadu government on October 18 to take steps to ensure the safety of people living downstream, after the catchment area had received heavy rainfall. On Sunday afternoon, the water level in the reservoir was 136.85 feet, reported PTI.

Vijayan also requested Stalin to direct Tamil Nadu authorities to inform the Kerala government about opening the shutters of the dam at least 24 hours in advance, to help them take “precautionary measures to ensure the safety of the people living downstream of the dam”.

“I request your kind and positive response for ensuring the safety of the lives of our people,” the Kerala chief minister said.

Vijayan told Stalin that heavy flooding due to the rainfall had led to many deaths and severe damage in Kerala on October 15 and October 16. Between October 12 and October 18, 38 people had died in the state in rain-related incidents.

On Sunday, the India Meteorological Department had issued an orange alert for Ernakulam and Idukki districts for the day.

In view of the downpour last week, the Kerala government had opened the gates of Idukki dam in Cheruthoni, Idamalayar dam in Ernakulam and Pampa dam in Pathanamthitta.