Kerala-TN standoff on new dam continues

KOCHI: Following objections raised by Tamil Nadu on the detailed project report (DPR) for the proposed new dam at Mullaperiyar, Kerala will submit its response by next week.
Kerala submitted the DPR to the supreme court-appointed Empowered Committee on Mullaperiyar on September 30, which included details of methods to be used for demolishing the existing dam which is over 100 years old.
"Most of the objections raised by Tamil Nadu are legal in nature, though there are some technical issues as well. We will be going to New Delhi on November 14 to prepare the response and will be submitting them by late next week,’’ M K Parameswaran Nair, chairman of Kerala government-appointed Mullaperiyar Cell told TOI.
He said Kerala would also be filing a petition to get copies of reports prepared by various technical groups on Mullaperiyar, adding that the state was not informed in advance on various decisions. ``For instance, we were not informed when the BARC team examined the dam. Similarly we were informed of the visit of the team from the Geological Survey of India (GSI) only at the last minute,’’ he said.
Meanwhile, water level in the dam has risen to 133 feet, just three feet short of the Maximum Permitted Level of 136 feet, following incessant rains in catchment areas in the past couple of days. Following this an alert has been sounded in Kerala as water is likely to overflow into the state if the level rises above 136 feet.
``The overflowing water will eventually reach the Idukky dam through the Periyar river. So the officials of the various government agencies located on the banks of the river have been put on alert in view of the possibility of the Mullaperiyar overflow. Some of areas where the water will flow are under cultivation now. We have also convened a meeting of various line departments on November 16 to further fine-tune strategies,’’ Idukky district collector E Devadasan told TOI.