Mullaperiyar dam is safe, TN chief minister tells Kerala CM

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Thursday said there was no threat to the safety of the Mullaperiyar dam and water was being stored at the permitted level of 142 feet as per the orders of the Supreme Court.
Palaniswami was responding to Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s request to the Tamil Nadu government to lower the storage level of the dam.

“I would like to state that the Mullaperiyar dam is safe in all respects, hydrologically, seismically and structurally as per the Supreme Court order on May 7, 2014. In the past, the dam was inspected by many experts, on several occasions, and they had also found that the dam was safe in all aspects,” Palaniswami said in a letter to Vijayan, a copy of which was released to the media.

The Tamil Nadu chief minister pointed out that periodical inspection of the Supreme Court-appointed supervisory committee had taken place. The last inspection was on August 4. The committee found that it was safe to store water up to 142 feet. “Therefore, there is no threat to the safety of the dam and water is being stored at the permitted level of 142 feet as per the orders of the Supreme Court,” Palaniswami said.

The Tamil Nadu government has been taking water from the reservoir to Vaigai basin, through tunnels, to the maximum extent possible. When the inflow started to increase in the reservoir, there has been continuous coordination between the engineers of Tamil Nadu and Kerala and the respective district collectors, the chief minister said.

Palaniswami alleged that Kerala officials were not permitting their Tamil Nadu counterparts to gauge the rainfall in the catchment area. TN officials were compelled to assess the inflow only based on the actual rate of raise in water level in the dam. Palaniswami said Vijayan should direct his officials to share the rainfall data on a real-time basis.

The Tamil Nadu chief minister requested Vijayan to ensure restoration of power supply to the dam and its appurtenant structures. As agreed by Tamil Nadu and Kerala governments, Tamil Nadu deposited Rs 1.65 crore with the Kerala Electricity Board to restore power supply. “The TN government has been in constant touch with Kerala State Electricity Board for restoring the power supply to the dam, but of no avail,” Palaniswami said.