Thiruvananthapuram: Yet another round of the ‘battle’ between Kerala and Tamil Nadu over the Mullaperiyar Dam has begun with the Central Water Commission filing a report before the Supreme Court saying that a safety inspection of the dam is inevitable. Following this development, both states have launched efforts to prove their contrasting points of view.
While Kerala seeks to demonstrate that the dam is unsafe, Tamil Nadu wants to convince the Commission that the over-a-century-old structure is still safe.
Impact of new inspection
The last safety check of the Mullaperiyar Dam took place during 2010-12. However, if any safety issue is detected by a panel comprising technical experts after 10 years, the situation would be favourable for Kerala. In fact, political observers have said that the report of the Water Commission recommending a new inspection is a golden opportunity for Kerala to achieve its target of building a new dam. This is because in the event of the technical panel finding faults with the dam, Kerala would be able to argue before the Supreme Court for a new construction.
But, if the technical panel concludes after inspection that the dam is safe, Tamil Nadu would approach the apex court seeking to increase the maximum water level from the present 142 feet to 152 feet, which would be a setback to Kerala’s interests.
In short, the findings of the technical panel would have high political significance for both states.
Issues of concern
Meanwhile, observers in Kerala have expressed concern over the lack of data on the amount of seepage water flowing out of the dam. According to them, with Tamil Nadu refusing to share these details, Kerala would struggle to prove that the dam is unsafe.
Similarly, Kerala had recently issued an order allowing Tamil Nadu to cut some trees near the Baby Dam at Mullaperiyar in order to strengthen this structure. However, this order was soon withdrawn when it sparked a controversy. Later, the order was cancelled. This matter was a setback for Tamil Nadu’s cause and the state is expected to argue before the technical panel that the main dam has no safety issues.
Back in 2011, the Supreme Court had entrusted technical experts Dr Thatte and Dr C D Mehta with the task of examining the issues at Mullaperiyar. At that time, Tamil Nadu had launched works to plug the leaks on the dam with concrete before the inspection by these experts, leading to a controversy.
