Team Blitz India
THE Kerala Government has approached the Supreme Court, raising a request related to the safety review of Mullaperiyar dam. The State Government has expressed its concern over the stand of the Central Water Commission and Dam Supervisory Committee that the Tamil Nadu administration should be assigned for the review.
The Central Water Commission and Dam Supervisory Committee intimated its stand on last July through an affidavit. The state Government’s move comes in the wake of this.
The affidavit filed by the state has requested a non-partisan panel for the safety review. The panel should have national experts and representatives from both states, the affidavit noted.
It may be noted that a safety check at the 127-year-old dam happened way back in 2011. The dam site witnessed two megafloods and several extreme heavy rains. Kerala has been demanding a fresh review of the safety.
The dam has been a bone of contention between Kerala and Tamil Nadu for decades. The Tamil Nadu Government in 2021 told the Supreme Court that “repeated assertion” by Kerala to seek decommissioning of Mullaperiyar dam is “wholly impermissible” as the dam has been found to be hydrologically, structurally, and seismically safe.
