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Mullaperiyar: ‘danger looms over State’

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The expert committee deputed by the State government to inspect the Mullaperiyar dam has reported that danger is looming over Kerala on account of the old and rapidly deteriorating dam.

The committee has said the construction of a new dam is the only viable, practical and engineering solution to escape from “the looming danger of a certain calamity” now hanging over the people of the State.

Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday along with Water Resources Minister N.K. Premachandran, former Chief Engineer of the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) M.K. Parameswaran Nair, who heads the committee, said all the three dams of the Idukki project would fail if the Mullaperiyar dam gave way. The expert said that 216.5 million cubic metres of water would flow over the Idukki, Cheruthoni and Kulamavu dams in the event of a failure of the Mullaperiyar dam. The Mullaperiyar reservoir holds 316.5 million cubic metres of water. At its current level, the Idukki reservoir could hold only an additional 100 million cubic metres of water.

The committee has noticed more seepage openings, which will cause more severe safety problems when the water level goes up.

Possible seepages through the foundation of the baby dam and the main dam raise serious safety concerns. Tamil Nadu has maintained that the seepage is only 89 litres a minute. An old dam should have much more seepage. The absence of a heavy seepage suggests that water must be flowing underneath the foundations. This could erode the foundations and cause subsidence of the dam. If the baby dam collapses, it could lead to a failure of the earthen as well as the main dam adjoining it.

The committee has observed that less water drained into the lower observation gallery than the upper one. This also suggests that there is seepage underneath the dam. There is also the possibility of some of the drainage pipes remaining clogged.

Mr. Nair said the Tamil Nadu government had not been allowing Kerala’s engineers to inspect the dam thoroughly. It has declined to provide flow of water into the galleries.

The earthen dam and areas in front of the baby dam are covered with vegetation. These need to be cleared for safety inspection. The condition of the dam has deteriorated in the last few years and cracks, peeling of plaster and seepages through the concrete backing are only tip of the real problems.

Safety assessment of the dam had been done in the past on the assumption that it is a masonry dam. However, it is a composite dam, and the only one of its type in the world.

It could not withstand an earthquake of the magnitude of three on the Richter scale.

Former KSEB Chief Engineer M. Sasidharan and Chief Engineer of the Water Resources Department N. Sasi are the other members of the committee.

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