Thiruvananthapuram: A Detailed Project Report (DPR) for constructing a new dam replacing the existing structure at Mullaperiyar in Idukki is in the final stage.
The Kerala Water Resources Department plans to complete the DPR within one-and-a-half months. The State hopes to complete the Rs 1,300 crore dam construction in five years, provided Tamil Nadu approves its move.
The DPR is being prepared for the second time. Kerala had drafted a DPR in 2011.
A team led by the Chief Engineer, Kerala Irrigation Interstate Water (ISW), was assigned the task of preparing the DPR of the dam that could withstand floods and earthquakes.
The DPR panel
The DPR would include the estimate, the dam's peculiarities, height, width, and its functions, among others. Besides the Chief Engineer as its Chairman, ISW, the DPR team has the Chief Engineer of the Irrigation and Research Board as Vice-Chairman, and 10 members, including IDRB Director, Joint Director of Hydrology Wing, Superintending Engineer of Minor Irrigation Central Circle (Ernakulam), and Executive Engineer of Minor Irrigation Division (Kattappana).
Though the Kerala government had issued an order to prepare the DPR in 2021, the follow-up actions were delayed. Kerala would submit the new DPR to the Central Water Commission and Union Ministry of Forests and Environment for their approval.
In his customary policy speech to the State Assembly, Governor Arif Mohammad Khan had announced the plan to construct a new dam at Mullaperiyar.
Eluding consensus
The Supreme Court had judged that a new dam could be constructed if Tamil Nadu and Kerala reached a consensus on the contentious issue. Though Kerala has been taking the reconciliation route, Tamil Nadu has not yet accepted the demand for a new structure at Mullaperiyar.
Tamil Nadu has been dispelling Kerala's safety concerns over the more-than-a-century-old dam. Kerala started preparing the DPR to expedite the construction if the Supreme Court intervened on its behalf under the changed circumstances.
The dam is now located at Kumily panchayat in Idukki's Peermade taluk. Kerala plans to construct the new dam 366 metres downstream of the existing structure.
Kerala had identified the site for the new dam in 1979 itself. It decided to go ahead with the DPR in 2011. The estimated construction cost then was Rs 600 crore. The State also conducted soil testing for the planned structure, but the plan hit a roadblock following Tamil Nadu's opposition.
