Thiruvananthapuram: Roshy Augustine, Kerala Minister for Water Resources said on Wednesday that an Environment Impact Assessment study for a new dam at Mullaperiyar was progressing.
Augustine was responding to a submission by Peerumade MLA Vazhoor Soman in the Assembly.
The minister reminded that besides approval from the ministries of environment and forests, a new dam has to follow a set of guidelines as per law.
He added that in 2018, the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change had given conditional approval to the state's proposed Terms of Reference for the EIA studies.
Augustine further explained that talks between the chief ministers of Kerala and Tamil Nadu that were followed by a secretary-level meeting held in 2019 had decided to amicably resolve the various inter-state disputes over the dam.
The minister claimed that the state was hopeful of stressing for a new dam by ensuring water supply to the Tamil Nadu districts of Theni, Madurai and Ramanathapuram. He also stated that necessary steps were in place to ensure the safety of the people residing near the dam.
The Supreme Court had earlier set up a three-member supervisory committee to resolve the disputes between the two states over the safety of the dam.
Sharing of water from the dam that was built in 1895 has been an ongoing issue between the two states. Kerala had in 2006 passed an act prohibiting the raising of water levels beyond 136ft.
However, the government of Tamil Nadu filed a suit in the Supreme Court claiming the move was unconstitutional. The apex court then restrained Kerala from obstructing Tamil Nadu to increase the water level to 142ft.
