SC-appointed panel satisfied with Mullaperiyar dam upkeep

A three-member committee, appointed by the Supreme Court, which inspected Mullaperiyar dam on Thursday expressed satisfaction over its upkeep.

A three-member committee, appointed by the Supreme Court, which inspected Mullaperiyar dam on Thursday expressed satisfaction over its upkeep.

With media persons not being allowed to the dam site, Tamil Nadu PWD engineers, who accompanied the committee members during the inspection from the morning, told reporters that consultations held after the inspection at Thekkadi were cordial and top-level officials from Tamil Nadu and Kerala were present.

Chief Engineer of the Central Water Commission Rakesh Kashyap headed the team which also comprised Additional Secretary Sandeep Saxena from Tamil Nadu and Ashok Kumar Singh from Kerala. Cauvery Technical Cell Director Subramanian, Chief Engineer Priyesh from Kerala, CWC Dam Safety Director Rakesh Kumar Gowtham, Deputy Director Ajit Kattariya and PWD Superintending Engineer Sam Irwin from Tamil Nadu accompanied the team, the officials said.

The committee members reached the dam site in a boat from Thekkadi. They checked the shutters and the gallery. They also inspected Vallakadavu-Periyar dam route. Later on, they held discussions at Thekkadi and expressed satisfaction over the dam’s upkeep, they added.

In 1979, after rumours went around that the dam was unsafe, water storage level was reduced from 152 feet to 136 ft. In 2011, the farmers from five southern districts assembled on Theni-Kerala border and blocked all vehicles bound for the neighbouring State, seriously affecting movement of essential goods.

When the issue was taken to the Supreme Court in 2014, it passed an order directing storage of water up to 142 ft. and strengthening of Baby dam. The court also formed a three-member committee comprising the Central Water Commission official and representatives of Tamil Nadu and Kerala to inspect the reservoir once a year or at appropriate times and submit its findings.