Mullaperiyar: UDF says govt failed in lowering water level, CM accuses UDF of destroying consensus

The Opposition UDF argued in the Assembly on Monday that the Pinarayi Vijayan government had failed in the Mullaperiyar issue on two counts. One, in lowering the water level in the dam. Two, in convincing the Supreme Court about the changed weather conditions that had prevailed in Kerala after the 2018 deluge.

It was former Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala who raised the Mullaperiyar issue as an adjournment motion in the Assembly. He alleged that the Kerala's representative in the Mullaperiyar Supervisory Committee had agreed to the water levels prescribed by Tamil Nadu (138 ft till October 31, 139.50 ft till November 10, 141 ft till November 20 and 142 ft till November 30). "The minutes of the meeting reveal that Kerala agreed to these water levels drawn up by Tamil Nadu. No wonder, the Supreme Court went with the status quo, " Chennithala said.

Water Resources Minister Roshy Augustine, when his turn to speak came, countered Chennithala's allegation. "We had registered our dissent, " he said. "Why else do you think the Supreme Court had agreed to take up the case again on November 11 to hear our side," he added.

The minister, in turn, was disputed by Opposition Leader V D Satheesan. He said the Kerala representative agreed to crucial proposals put forward by Tamil Nadu at the meeting of the Supervisory Committee. "It was only when this was revealed through the media, the government filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court, " Satheesan said.

Roshy also termed as a triumph the very fact that the Supreme Court had lowered the desired water level in the Mullaperiyar dam from 142 ft to 139.50 ft. Satheesan said the government affidavit had wanted the level to be kept at 138.3 ft. "This being the case, how can the minister view the level of 139.50 ft approved by the apex Court in a positive light, " he said.

Satheesan also said that, at the Supervisory Committee meeting, Kerala even agreed to the Tamil Nadu's stand that the Mullaperiyar dam was hydrologically, seismologically and structurally safe.

Satheesan argued that the government should not take refuge in the 2014 Supreme Court verdict that fixed the upper level at 142 ft. "After the 2018 deluge and the disastrous natural calamities that struck Kerala with alarming regularity in the years that followed, we have to build a new case. The situation that prevailed in 2014 when the Court fixed 142 ft as the upper limit has dramatically altered now, " Satheesan said. He also said that Kerala should use the reports of IIT Delhi and IIT Rourkie to effectively argue in Court that the dam is hydrologically and seismologically unsafe.

The Opposition Leader also said that certain recommendations that Kerala had passed on to Tamil Nadu, like enhancing the capacity of the Vaigai dam and the penstock pipes that take water from Mullaperiyar to Tamil Nadu, would weaken Kerala's case. "These would create the impression that the existing dam would be safe if the capacity of dams in Tamil Nadu and tunnel pipes is increased, " he said.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan chided the Opposition for what he called its divergent stand on the issue. "Historically, there was a political consensus on the issue. We have passed four joint resolutions on the issue in the Assembly (December 7, 2001; July 24, 2009; February 9, 2011; June 9, 2014), " Vijayan said. "Are we trying to create slight differences? Will this bode well for us, " he asked.

Satheesan was bitingly sarcastic in his response. "I think you have forgotten what happened in 2011 December, when Oommen Chandy was Chief Minister, " he said. "Then the CPM had organised a human chain that stretched from the dam to the sea demanding that the water level should be brought down to 120 ft. At one end of the chain was the then Opposition Leader V S Achuthanandan who in his unique manner of speaking declared that 40 lakh bodies will float in the Arabian Sea if the level was not lowered to 120 ft. On the other end of the chain was you, then the CPM state secretary, " Satheesan said.

 

"Ten years ago you wanted the water level reduced to 120 ft. Now, you seem fine with the level at even 142 ft, " Satheesan said.

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