Mullaperiyar row: Kerala Govt says no amount of rejuvenation can sustain 126-yr-old dam

Stressing the need for a new reservoir in Mullaperiyar, the Kerala government told the Supreme Court on Tuesday that "no amount of rejuvenation" can perpetuate the 126-year-old "deteriorated" Mullaperiyar dam and there is a limit to the number of years it can run through maintenance and strengthening measures.

The LDF government asserted that the only permanent solution to get rid of the "eternal threat owing to the safety concerns" of the dam and for protecting the safety of lakhs of people, is to build a new dam in downstream reaches of the existing dam.

Mullaperiyar Dam was built in 1895 on the Periyar River in the Idukki district of Kerala. The Pinarayi Vijayan-led Kerala government has approached the top court against Tamil Nadu's proposal to fix the upper rule level of the Mullaperiyar dam at 142 feet.

"It is submitted that no amount of rejuvenation by any means can perpetuate the 126 years old deteriorated Mullaperiyar dam," the affidavit said.

On October 28, an SC bench headed by Justice AM Khanwilkar had said that Tamil Nadu and Kerala would abide by the water level notified by the expert committee as per which it would be maintained at 139.5 feet till November 10 in the dam. The court had posted the matter for hearing on November 11 to enable Kerala to file a better affidavit, especially to deal with the issue on the rule curve and about the correct approach in that regard.

In its affidavit, the Kerala government has said that all over the world, citizens, governments, and organizations have begun to review the safety of their dams as per modern standards and design criteria. "Many dams have already been dismantled or decommissioned in an attempt to allay the fears of the people living downstream and to ensure safety to their lives and properties," it said.

It said that in 1979, the team of engineers from both the states headed by the then Chairman of CWC had made specific recommendations for constructing a new dam as a permanent solution to the safety problem of the existing Mullaperiyar dam. 

Mullaperiyar conundrum

The affidavit said that the government of Kerala has already put forth the suggestion for constructing a dam during the meetings held at New Delhi chaired by the Union Minister for Water Resources and the Chief Ministers of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, however, the state of Tamil Nadu did not concur with the proposal of the new dam. The rule curve prepared by Tamil Nadu in consultation with CWC is required by the supervisory committee in line with the suggestion given by Kerala.

It said the alarming rise in the water level of the dam due to heavy rains which occurred in the catchment of Mullaperiyar dam from October 16 this year and the concerns of Kerala on its safety and the people living downstream of the dam were placed before the court on October 25 for the regulation of water level.

Kerala further said that in the backdrop of past history of sudden upsurges of water level records in the Mullaperiyar reservoir, the state is very vigilant in close monitoring of water levels.

"It is admitted that the failure on the part of Tamil Nadu to execute the instrumentation of the dam in a time-bound manner is a grave matter that would further weaken the oldest dam in India built during the pre-modern construction technology which would lead to a dreadful disaster of a dam break with unimaginable loss to human life and environment," it said.

The affidavit said considering the aging of the dam and the seismic forces to be imposed on the dam, necessary directions may be issued to Tamil Nadu to install instruments in the dam recommended as per the guidelines of CWC.

(With inputs from agency)