Mullaperiyar Dam: Kerala stands firm, says safety inspection must precede maintenance

New Delhi: Kerala has taken a firm stance, reiterating that it cannot accept Tamil Nadu's demand to do maintenance works on the Mullaperiyar Dam. Kerala intends to strongly raise this issue during the crucial meeting of the Mullaperiyar Supervisory Committee scheduled for September 2 in Delhi.

Kerala's position is that the maintenance should be permitted only after the safety inspection. Even as Tamil Nadu is not likely to agree to this, the stand to be taken by the Central Water Commission in this regard will be very crucial.

Tamil Nadu is moving forward with maintenance work on the Mullaperiyar Dam with the approval of the Supervisory Committee, in accordance with the 2014 directive from the Supreme Court Constitution Bench that instructed the state to carry out repairs on the century-old dam.

In February 2022, the Supreme Court ordered a comprehensive security check of the Mullaperiyar Dam in response to a Public Interest Litigation filed by Dr. Joe Joseph, considering the concerns of Kerala. Tamil Nadu's approach, following the verdict, is to prioritize repairs on the dam before conducting a thorough safety inspection. This is what Kerala is opposing.

It is stipulated in the safety manual of the Central Water Commission that once in ten years a safety inspection should be done on major dams of the country. In 2011, a comprehensive safety inspection was conducted at Mullaperiyar Dam.