Mulai Periyar Dam

Mullaperiyar Dam or Mullai Periyar Damis a masonry gravity dam on the Periyar River in the Kerala state of India. It is located 881 m (2,890 ft) above mean sea level on the Cardamom Hills of the Western Ghats in Thekkady, Idukki District of Kerala, South India. It was constructed between 1887 and 1895 by the British Government to divert water eastwards to Madras Presidency area (the present-day Tamil Nadu). It has a height of 53.6 m (176 ft) from the foundation and length of 365.7 m (1,200 ft).

The Periyar National Park in Thekkady is located around the dam’s reservoir. The dam is located in Kerala on the river Periyar, but the dam is controlled and operated under a period lease by neighboring Tamil Nadu stateSupreme court judgment came in February 27 2006, allowing tamilnadu to raise the level of the dam to 152 feet after strengthening it. Responding to it, Mullaperiyar dam was declared an ‘endangered’ scheduled dam by the Kerala Government

Mullai Periyar Dam

after a few minor earthquakes in 1979 in regions surrounding the dam, security issues were raised over its security. Since then, both the Kerala and TN governments have been at loggerheads over the security issue. Later, experts from Indian Institute of Technology also examined the dam, and mentioned that the dam will not withstand an earthquake. What does the TN government have to say about it?

The TN government refutes allegations that age has withered the dam. There are arguments that if the world’s oldest Kallanai dam (built in the second century AD) in Srirangam in Tiruchirapali district is still functional and continues to irrigate about 4,000 sqkm, why can’t the Mullaperiyar be as well. So, where do the two governments stand?

The Kerala government’s contention is that in case the dam breaks, the three dams downstream — Idukki, Cheruthoni and Kolamavu – will not be able to withhold the pressure, which will put the lives of 3.5 million people in the state. On the other hand, the TN government maintains that if the Mullaperiyar is demolished, it will create water scarcity in five districts of the state, leading to a draught in the region.