Tamil Nadu has accused Kerala in the Supreme Court of “crying foul” about the safety of the over 125-year-old Mullaperiyar dam while at the same time “wilfully obstructing” work essential to maintain the structure.
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NEW DELHI: Tamil Nadu has taken a firm stand against Kerala in the Supreme Court, alleging that the neighboring state is “crying foul” about the safety of the over 125-year-old Mullaperiyar dam while simultaneously “wilfully obstructing” essential maintenance work on the structure. The conflict over the dam’s safety and maintenance has been ongoing for years, with both states holding firm positions.
“The State of Kerala on one hand raises the issue of comprehensive dam safety review, but on the other hand is obstructing in granting permissions and approvals for conveying materials and machinery to enable Tamil Nadu from completing the remaining strengthening works,”
-Tamil Nadu’s Water Resources Department highlighted in an application to the Supreme Court.
Obstructing Essential Maintenance Work
Tamil Nadu argued that Kerala has delayed even routine annual maintenance work, including painting, patchwork, repairs to staff quarters, and more. These delays have ranged from two months to more than a year. Despite the powers granted to the reconstituted supervisory committee under the Dam Safety Act, 2021, Tamil Nadu claimed that the committee “miserably failed” to ensure that Kerala permits and facilitates the strengthening and other related works on the dam.
In its plea, Tamil Nadu sought the Supreme Court’s intervention to direct Kerala to allow it to conduct the remaining strengthening works on the baby and earth dams, grout the main dam, and permit the cutting of 15 trees to facilitate the strengthening of the baby dam. According to Tamil Nadu, permission to cut the trees was granted by Kerala in November 2021 but was withdrawn shortly afterward.
“Kerala has stated that the balance strengthening works, viz., strengthening the baby dam and earthern dam require forest and wildlife clearances, which is denied. Thus, Kerala has invented a new device to obstruct in carrying out the above strengthening works,”
-Tamil Nadu stated in its application.
Kerala’s Concerns Over the Mullaperiyar Dam’s Safety
The controversy over the Mullaperiyar dam’s safety has persisted for many years. In 2021, Kerala strongly advocated in the Supreme Court to decommission the 126-year-old “deteriorated” Mullaperiyar dam, which is operated by Tamil Nadu. Kerala proposed constructing a new dam, arguing that phenomena like climate change, erratic and heavy rainfall, and floods have made the risk of a catastrophe imminent.
Kerala’s stance coincided with a red alert issued in Chennai following torrential rains in 2021. The Chennai rains followed several days of downpour in Kerala. The state also referenced the Uttarakhand flood, known as the Chamoli disaster of February 2021, primarily attributed to climate change in the environs of the Nanda Devi National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The suggestion to build a new dam dates back to 1979. Kerala referred to the decommissioning of another 19th-century lime concrete structure, the Victoria Dam in Australia, following the detection of seepages in its structure.
This ongoing dispute between the two states over the Mullaperiyar dam underscores the complex challenges surrounding aging infrastructure and environmental safety. With both sides maintaining firm positions, the Supreme Court’s intervention is eagerly awaited to address these pressing concerns.
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