The Mullaperiyar Dam Story
The Mullaperiyar Dam which exists across Periyar River in Idukki has passed its 116 years. It was constructed by a British engineer under the supervision of Mr. Benny Cook in the year 1895 with the agreement signed by the king of Travancore. It was predicted with a life span of 50 years. There were occurred minor earthquakes before, since 1979. Since then safety concerns were raised by Kerala Government, due to the leaks and cracks in the dam. Now it was passed 66 years more than the expected life time.
The recently occurred tremors in Idukki had shaken the old dam. And so it is the current issue, that the dam will not suffer any more EQs with magnitude more than 6 in Richter scale. And if it occurs, it will become the terrific disaster that had ever occurred in the Asian continent. According to the study committee the temporary method to reduce the huge human loss is to lift down the water level from 136 feet to 120 feet. Kerala is willing to construct the new dam by stably providing sufficient water to Tamil Nadu. But this attempt is opposed by Tamil Nadu authorities. The reason that lined up by the state is that the dam is strong enough to withstand any tremors and so there is no need for a new one. Besides, Tamil Nadu is demanding to maintain the water level at 136 ft. itself to face the emerging needs for irrigation and power generation. They are saying that the Kerala political leaders are simply spreading panic among the public. So to make a solution to this problem, the Kerala chief minister Oomen Chandy recommended the PM Manmohan Singh to directly involve in the issue. Also he suggested the Roorkee IIT to conduct a hazard assessment. Supreme Court is demanding a join settlement of two states in the issue. But it will not happen till the accusation among the political leaders of two states remains. If any disaster occurs, lakhs of people in four districts, Idukki, Ernakulam, Kottayam and Alappuzha as well as the wild life sanctuary will be vanished. So by seriously considering the life of more than thirty lakh people, the state govt. should go ahead with the construction of a new dam.
Anyway this issue has made a threat among the people in Kerala. People protested against the lack of action throughout the state. It is notable that the Kerala state authorities have not taken any safety measures yet to protect the people residing down areas of the dam. Now the important thing is to take action to empty the surroundings of the dam. The failure of Periyar dam could lead to the failure of Idukki arch dam. Though the evacuation of people is impossible, state govt. should take precautions to protect the people. So it’s the time for the two states to stop its arguments and started to work together.
