Kottayam: The Central Government has ordered a comprehensive safety inspection of the Mullaperiyar dam. An independent expert committee has been constituted to carry out the inspection as mandated under the Dam Safety Act, 2021. Kerala had long been demanding such an assessment.

Former chief engineer and member of the Central Water Commission, T K Sivarajan, is the Kerala representative in the committee. The committee’s report will be submitted to the National Dam Safety Authority as well as to the Central, Kerala and Tamil Nadu governments, said James Wilson, the State’s Inter-State Water Advisory Officer and former chief engineer of KSEB.

The expert committee will inspect the Mullaperiyar dam, its ancillary structures and the reservoir within a month. The final report will be submitted within four months.

Since 2011, only visual inspections by the supervisory committee have taken place at Mullaperiyar. During this time, there has been no clarity regarding any potential structural weakening of the dam. The Central Water Commission recommends that major dams like Mullaperiyar should undergo a full inspection once every 10 years.

Dr Jo Joseph, a resident of Kothamangalam, had approached the Supreme Court raising this demand, which paved the way for a comprehensive inspection. Tamil Nadu had argued that a fresh inspection was unnecessary at this stage, pointing out that the 2021 safety law allows a five-year window for such examinations.