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Dam in bad condition: expert team

A Correspondent

Report to be submitted to Supreme Court, Kerala and Tamil Nadu governments

Safety concerns: The century-old Mullaperiyar dam’s strength is in question.

KATTAPPANA: An expert team which visited the Mullaperiyar dam on Saturday found that its strength had deteriorated considerably posing a threat to the life and property of the people living in nearby areas.

Addressing mediapersons at Kumily on Saturday, Mullaperiyar Special Cell chief N.K. Parameswaran Nair, who led the team, said its report would be submitted to the State government within a week. The leakage of water through the portions where plastering had peeled off was a pointer to the poor condition of the century-old dam, he said adding that those portions which were under the water level were yet to be examined.

Mr. Parameswaran Nair said the equipment installed by Tamil Nadu to gauge the pressure of water in the dam were not in working condition. Since those were installed not in proper places, the equipment always showed the water pressure at the ‘zero level.’ The Tamil Nadu government had installed 14 pressure scales in the dam recently to get the exact pressure of water on the dam.

He said that since the issue was before the Supreme Court, the report of the expert team would be submitted to the court and the Tamil Nadu government also. It was alleged that the pressure scales were installed with an ulterior motive.

The leakages were clearly exposed after the water level in the reservoir fell down towards the fag end of the summer season.

The team, which arrived by 12 noon, was prevented by Tamil Nadu officials from entering the gallery on the ground that its members did not belong to the same department. However, Kerala Water Resources Minister N.K. Premachandran contacted the Secretary of the Tamil Nadu Public Works Department and the team was finally allowed into the gallery by 3 p.m.

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