THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Keralam has made a fresh demand for an independent and technically rigorous safety examination of the 130-year-old Mullaperiyar dam, citing discrepancies in earlier technical assessments and the Supreme Court’s directive for a fresh review of its safety. The chief engineer (interstate water) has submitted a detailed note to all six members of the independent supervisory committee constituted by the Supreme Court to carry out a comprehensive safety evaluation of the dam.
The fresh move comes soon after the committee visited Mullaperiyar in the first week of September. Keralam has drawn the committee’s attention to the Supreme Court’s 2022 order, which said that the committee would “decide all outstanding matters related to the dam’s safety and conduct a safety review afresh”. During a meeting between the committee and state representatives, Keralam pointed out that the last safety evaluation of the dam was conducted in 2011, besides raising other technical concerns.
Though committee chairman Balraj Joshi had reportedly assured the state that its concerns would be considered, there was no further communication, a government official said. “As the deadline for submitting the report is fast approaching, the state made a fresh move.”
In its latest submission, Keralam has cited technical evidence to argue that the committee should re-examine the safety assessment in view of differences between the findings of IIT Roorkee and those of the Central Water Commission (CWC). The state has also pointed to significant variations in CWC’s own assessments made at different points in time.
The state has also reiterated its objection to fixing the peak of the ‘rule curve’ at 142 feet. The rule curve determines the permissible reservoir level at different times of the year. Keralam has argued the decision does not adequately take into account the 2018 flood.