E-Paper
Kerala governor favours new dam in Mullaperiyar
The Mullaperiyar dam was built in 1886 to supply water to southern Tamil Nadu for irrigation. Its main share of water goes to Tamil Nadu.
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala governor Arif Mohammad Khan on Tuesday said it is time to decommission the 125-year-old Mullaperiyar Dam and build a new one. “...it is an old dam and efforts should be made to build a new one. Let the court deal with issues between two states over this and arrive at an amicable solution,” he said while echoing concerns of the people living downstream.
The comments came a day after the Supreme Court directed Kerala and Tamil Nadu to discuss the water level in the dam and take a speedy decision to cap it.
Joes Joseph, a resident of Kerala’s Idukki, has moved the court saying the level should not go above 139 feet in view of heavy rains in the area like in 2018 when Kerala faced the flood of the century. But Tamil Nadu opposed the plea, saying the court in 2014 fixed the maximum water level at 142 feet.
Kerala government has been pressing for a new dam for years citing frequent tremors and changing rain patterns in the Idukki district where the old dam is situated. But Tamil Nadu has opposed it fearing that once the new dam is built, it would not get control over it.
The dam was built in 1886 to supply water to southern Tamil Nadu for irrigation. Its main share of water goes to Tamil Nadu.
Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday dispelled any immediate threat to the dam. He reiterated the state’s long-pending demand for a new dam.
