New Mullaiperiyar dam: Tamil Nadu sends notice to Centre, Kerala

The dam has outlived its useful life and consequences of any failure could be catastrophic and hence requires urgent decommissioning.
Mullaiperiyar Dam (File photo)
Mullaiperiyar Dam (File photo)

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government has issued legal notice to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and the Kerala government, which has proposed to construct a new reservoir at Mullaiperiyar in Idukki district, while decommissioning the existing 123-year-old dam operated by Tamil Nadu under an inter-state agreement.

On October 25, Express had reported that the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) for River Valley and Hydro Electric Projects under the Union Environment Ministry, at its 18th meeting on September 27, recommended grant of terms of reference (ToR) to Kerala’s proposal to conduct Environment Impact Assessment study for building the new dam. There was huge uproar in the State with political parties calling it a contempt of Supreme Court verdict.

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A highly placed government source said legal notices were served after receiving no response from the Centre to the letter written by Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami to seek the direct intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and withdraw the ToR. Confirming the development, R Subramanian, chairman, Cauvery Technical Cell, told Express that the notices were served upon EAC, MoEF&CC and Chief Secretary to the Kerala government.

“One month time has been given to send in their replies after which Tamil Nadu will explore the possibility of filing a contempt petition in the Supreme Court,” he said.

As per the Supreme Court verdict dated May 7, 2014, for the construction of a new dam, there has to be agreement of both parties. The offer made by Kerala cannot be thrust upon Tamil Nadu. In August 2014, Kerala “stealthily” obtained clearance for such a study for the construction of a new dam without informing or consulting Tamil Nadu or obtaining its concurrence on the matter following which the Tamil Nadu government had issued a contempt notice against the member-secretary of the standing committee of the National Board for Wildlife and Wildlife Preservation Officer. Subsequently, the Centre de-listed Kerala’s proposal in July 2015. 

The CM had said that the Kerala government approaching the Centre on the issue and the latter entertaining it were in gross violation of the decree of the Supreme Court on the inter-state dispute.

Though the Kerala government in pre-feasibility report and letters sent to the Union Environment Ministry claims that it does not desire to deprive Tamil Nadu of the Mullaiperiyar waters, officials in the Public Works Department said Kerala’s proposal will put five southern districts - Madurai, Theni, Dindigul, Sivaganga and Ramnad - in misery. 

“The five districts squarely depend on the Vaigai river to meet drinking and irrigation needs. The Vaigai gets major feed from the Mullaiperiyar dam via a tunnel through the western ghats. Kerala’s proposed dam planned in the downstream will deprive Tamil Nadu of ‘current’ benefits,” a senior official said.

On August 23, KH Shamsudeen, chief engineer, Irrigation Department of the Kerala government, in a letter addressed to the Secretary of Union Environment Ministry, said, “Despite the strengthening measures taken by Tamil Nadu, the Mullaiperiyar dam has not gained adequate strength to function further. The dam has outlived its useful life and consequences of any failure could be catastrophic and hence requires urgent decommissioning.”

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