New Delhi, August 24: The Supreme Court on Friday ordered the Tamil Nadu government to maintain the water level in Mullaperiyar Dam at 139.99 feet till August 31. The court said that it won't treat the matter as the dispute between two states, adding that it was concerned about the Kerala floods disaster and loss of lives.

The court's order came a day after the Kerala Government told the Supreme Court that the sudden release of water from the Mullaperiyar Dam by the Tamil Nadu government was one of the reasons which caused floods in Kerala which claimed 373 lives and rendered many homeless.

Pinarayi Vijayan-led Kerala government on Thursday filed an affidavit in the top court saying that the Tamil Nadu Government ignored its request to control water flow from the Mullaperiyar Dam during the floods which aggravated the situation.

On the other hand, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E Palaniswami said that the water from Mullaperiyar Dam was released a week after floods and in a phased manner.

Mullaperiyar Dam is one of the dams in Kerala located near Thekkady in Idukki district on the Periyar River, whose shutters were opened, to release excess water, following the heavy downpour in the state. The dam is although located in Kerala, it is operated by Tamil Nadu.

Kerala had said the dam was dangerous, but the Tamil Nadu had always opposed this. This has always been a contentious issue between both states.

With inputs from ANI

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 24, 2018 12:30 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).