The Hindu : New Delhi News : Mullaperiyar dam “safe” to hold water up to 142 ft, says State

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jul 17, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

New Delhi

New Delhi

Mullaperiyar dam “safe” to hold water up to 142 ft, says State

J. Venkatesan

New dam virtually impossible, states affidavit

New Delhi: The Mullaperiyar dam is safe to hold water up to a reservoir level of 142 ft and all medium and long term strengthening measures necessary to hold water up to this level have been carried out, the Tamil Nadu government stated in an affidavit filed before the Supreme Court on Wednesday.

Responding to Kerala government’s affidavits filed on Tuesday, Tamil Nadu said: “The dam is safe and the seepage is within permissible limits. The proposal for a new dam is an afterthought by the Kerala government and… the same had been duly considered by the Central Water Commission, which decided to strengthen the existing dam as a long-term measure and not to pursue the proposal of construction of a new dam.”

The affidavit said, “In the present scenario of environmental issues and the large forest area and a sanctuary existing below the Mullaperiyar dam, it will be virtually impossible to conceive of a new dam below the existing dam.”

It said: “Any reduction in the water level will have an adverse impact not only on irrigation but also on hydropower. The rights of the inhabitants of Tamil Nadu will be seriously prejudiced if the water level is not restored to 142 ft in the first instance as permitted by the Supreme Court. The dam will have no bearing on the downstream Idukki dam as alleged.”

Tamil Nadu asserted that apprehensions raised by Kerala regarding the dam safety “are totally misplaced.” It said: “The apprehension and the unwarranted fear psychosis being raised among the public suggesting as if the dam is under grave threat on the alleged ground of the dam being a century old is totally baseless. The State of Kerala is fully aware that the dam is safe and there is no danger to the safety of the dam or the security of the downstream population living in Kerala.”

Expert committee

Tamil Nadu pointed out that an expert committee set up by it inspected dam on April 28, 2007, examined the structural safety and found that all strengthening measures suggested had been fully carried out and had certified that the dam was safe to hold water initially up to 142 ft.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

New Delhi