The Hindu : Kerala News : Kerala Minister rushes to Mullaperiyar

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Wednesday, Nov 15, 2006
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Kerala Minister rushes to Mullaperiyar

Special Correspondent

Water level crosses 136 feet mark in the reservoir

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala Water Resources Minister N.K. Premachandran left Kollam for Mullaperiyar on Tuesday following a report from the Idukki Collector that the situation in the district is turning for the worse with the water level in the reservoir crossing the 136-foot mark.

The Minister will visit the dam on Wednesday after reaching Thekkady on Tuesday night. Members of the Dam Safety Authority are already at Thekkady to inspect the dam.

The Minister told The Hindu on the phone that both the main and Baby dams at Mullaperiyar were unsafe. The people of the State would settle for nothing other than rebuilding of the dams. The State would be pressing for it as no repair work would make the (110-year-old) dam safe.

Mr. Premachandran said Tamil Nadu was trying to drain the reservoir after closing a highway in that State with a view to keeping the water level low. This showed that Tamil Nadu also considered the dam as unsafe.

Revenue Minister K.P. Rajendran is convening a conference of officials and people's representatives at the Idukki Collectorate on Wednesday to discuss the threat from the dam. The Minister told journalists here that the conference would discuss disaster preparedness in the district against the background of weakness of the Mullaperiyar main and Baby dams.

Mr. Rajendran said the district did not have a disaster management plan. One needed to be prepared.

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