Mullaperiyar Dam Row: Centre Tells Kerala To Give Permission For Strengthening Baby Dam
The current permissible water level in the dam is 142 feet while the Kerala government wanted the apex court to ensure the water level at 139 feet.
Chennai: Amidst the controversy surrounding Mullaperiyar Dam, the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti Department has written to the Kerala government requesting to provide permission to strengthen the baby dam and earth dam. In a letter, Sanjay Awasthi, Joint Secretary of Ministry of Jal Shakti, Department of Water Resources wrote to Additional Chief Secretary of Water Resources TK Jose stating that the works to strengthen the dam will just ensure that the safety of the dam is not compromised.
However, according to a report on IANS, the Kerala government on the day as the letter from the Centre informed Supreme Court yet again that the lifespan of the 126-year-old Mullaperiyar dam cannot be rejuvenated by any means. Any mishap with the Mullaperiyar dam can lead to a cascading effect that can threaten the lives of 50 lakh people in the Idukki Dam located downstream of Mullaperiyar.
The government urged Supreme Court to issue orders reducing the maximum permissible water level and bring a long-term solution by decommissioning the dam and building a new dam.
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The current permissible water level in the dam is 142 feet while the Kerala government wanted the apex court to ensure the water level at 139 feet.
In another news surrounding the dam, a letter by the chairman of the supervisory committee on Mullperiyar dam on September 3 disapproved the claim of the Kerala government that the state was unaware of the move to strengthen the baby dam in Mullaperiyar.
In an official communication on September 3 by Gulshan Raj, chairman of the supervisory committee on Mullaperiyar dam, informed the water resources department additional chief secretary TK Jose that the joint team has identified trees that needs to be felled around the dam to carry out the strengthening works.
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