JAYALALITHAA GOVERNMENT TO COME FORWARD FOR TALKS URGENTLY IN VIEW OF HEIGHTENED FEARS ABOUT THE SAFETY OF THE 116 YEAR OLD MULLAPERIYAR DAM DUE TO RECENT TREMORS

JAYALALITHAA GOVERNMENT TO COME FORWARD FOR TALKS URGENTLY IN VIEW OF HEIGHTENED FEARS ABOUT THE SAFETY OF THE 116 YEAR OLD MULLAPERIYAR DAM DUE TO RECENT TREMORS

Stepping up its demand for a new dam at Mullaperiyar, Kerala Wnesday,23^rd November,2011, asked the Jayalalithaa government to come forward for talks urgently in view of heightened fears about the safety of the 116-year-old structure due to recent tremors. On its part, Kerala was willing to give a firm undertaking that it would not curtail the water channelled to its neighbour from the present level after construction of a new dam, Water Resources Minister P J Joseph said. Any further delay in construction of a new dam and decommissioning of the existing one would be putting at stake the lives of three million people in downstream areas, he said.

"Tamil Nadu Government should come forward for a dialogue in view of the extremely weak condition of the dam, which has been rendered further vulnerable by recurring tremors in the area surrounding it", he told reporters after a review meeting with senior engineers. "Kerala Government is ready to give an assurance at any forum that the present quantity of water will be given to Tamil Nadu. We are ready to sign any type of agreement and there is no need for our neighbour to entertain any anxiety on that count," he said. Areas close to the dam, located in Idukki district, have been shaken by as many as 20 tremors since July this year. A study by experts from Roorkie IIT had warned that the dam could collapse if the area is shaken by a 6.5 Richter scale magnitude earthquake, he said. In such a grim scenario, it would be difficult even to save the lives of people. If Mullaperiyar Dam fails, its storage would flow into Idukki, Cheruthoni and Kulamavu dams and make them overflow to downstream areas, he said.

"Tamil Nadu should give up its adamant stand against construction of a new dam in view of the grim danger it poses to people in downstream areas," Joseph said. Also, all political parties in Tamil Nadu should help create an atmosphere conducive for talks for a lasting settlement to the long pending issue, he said. Disputing Tamil Nadu's position that the dam was not quite weak as being argued by Kerala, Joseph said as far back as 1979 the Central Water Commission had found it weak. Though some peripheral rectification works were done, nothing had been done to strengthen its foundation, he said. He said the government had also called for an urgent all-party meet to discuss the current situation. Chief Minister Oommen Chandy had drawn the Centre's attention to the serious situation of the dam. Kerala has also urged all national parties to make their position clear on the issue and debate it in Parliament. Mullaperiyar Dam was built when that area was part of the Travancore princely state and Tamil Nadu under British rule.

Tamil Nadu has been the major beneficiary of its water. For the past two decades, however, the dam has been a subject of hot dispute between the neighbouring states. Tamil Nadu, holding control of the dam, has been locked in a legal battle over increasing the storage level in the reservoir while Kerala is opposed to the idea of a new dam. With the litigation prolonging, the Supreme Court appointed an empowered committee headed by former CJI Justice (Rtd) A S Anand two years back to draw up a report after studying all aspects about the dam.

                                                                             Prof. John Kurakar