WRD begins maintenance of 130-yr-old Mullaiperiyar dam; Department writes to Kerala seeking nod for nine other works

CHENNAI: The State Water Resources Department has commenced the annual maintenance work on the 130-year-old Mullaiperiyar dam.

Meanwhile, the authorities have also written to their counterparts in Kerala, to seek their nod for nine other works that were part of its earlier proposal.

After considerable delay, the Kerala government approved seven out of the 16 proposed maintenance works ahead of Chief Minister MK Stalin's visit to Vaikom on December 11 to inaugurate the Thanthai Periyar memorial.

Given the politically sensitive nature of the issue, the department has taken extra precautions to ensure that the work proceeds smoothly without any hindrances.

“Since it is a politically sensitive issue, we are trying our best to carry out the work without any hindrance. We are also taking measures through appropriate channels to seek approval for other works,” said a senior official in the State government.

The Executive Engineer of the Periyar Dam (Special Division) in Cumbum requested permission from his counterpart for Tamil Nadu’s Water Resources Department to carry out special repair works, including patchwork for the main dam and both end steps.

Tamil Nadu authorities listed a total of 16 works, but the Kerala government approved only seven and permitted the transportation of materials to the dam site through Thekkady boat landing and by road from the Vallakadavu check post.

Chief Engineer of Inter-State Waters, Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) has been monitoring the work as per the precondition of the approval from the Kerala government.

“Immediately after securing permission to carry out the maintenance work, we transported materials to the work site and commenced the tasks. We have also written to the officials in Kerala, seeking their approval for the remaining nine works that were previously proposed,” said a senior official.

“At present, we are focusing on tasks such as replacing shutter plates, painting the shutters, and other minor works, including civil works like patching and repairs at the quarters and buildings,” said another official.

In addition, the Water Resources Department officials from Tamil Nadu have started work at the boat landing sites. However, the officials expressed their dissatisfaction that they were unable to proceed with work on key structures and are still awaiting approval.