Mullaiperiyar dam: WRD says nod for safety review not a setback for Tamil Nadu

CHENNAI: Hours after the Supreme Court constituted Supervisory Committee gave its nod to Kerala government’s plea for safety review of Mullaiperiyar Dam, the representatives of the Tamil Nadu government said that it was not a setback for the State.

“There is no setback for Tamil Nadu,” Additional Chief Secretary of WRD K Manivasan told DT Next after attending the meeting of the Supervisor Committee at Delhi on Monday.

He, however, said that they would consult with the legal experts after getting the minutes of the meeting and take further course of action.

“We have flagged, at the meeting, that there is a need for maintenance of the baby dam and main dam.”

Going by the safety provision as per the Dam Safety Act 2021, it is mandatory to conduct safety review of reservoirs within five years since the Act came into force. Hence, it is unavoidable, said another official and noted that the Supervisory Committee had already registered its view that Mullaiperiyar Dam ‘strong and safe’ and reiterated its observation on multiple occasions.

Sources privy to the development in the meeting divulged that the safety review of the 129-year-old reservoir, which is a bone of contention between the two southern states, would be carried out by an expert panel formed by the Tamil Nadu government.

The Supervisory Committee’s Monday decision is the fallout of its inspection of the reservoir on June 13 and 14 this year.

During the inspection, the authorities from the Kerala government insisted on a safety review of the reservoir.

“We have informed the Chairman of the Committee (Rakesh Kashyap) regarding the lack of cooperation of the Kerala government to take up the periodically works to maintain the healthy condition of the reservoir,” he said and noted that grounding has not been done to the structure for more than two decades due to lack of cooperation from the neighbouring State.