MADURAI/THENI: The Mullaiperiyar dam is in good condition and there are no issues of any concern, said chairman of the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) Anil Jain said on Monday.
Speaking to reporters after inspecting the dam and chairing the fourth supervisory committee meeting, Anil Jain said the committee inspected various aspects of the dam, including its structure, instruments, hydro-mechanical components, and gallery. "We visually observed the condition of the dam after the 2025 monsoon. As of now, we have not found anything alarming or of a concerning nature. The dam is in good shape," he said.
He added that several issues between Tamil Nadu and Kerala were amicably resolved during the meeting. "It has been decided that Tamil Nadu government will share certain instruments with the Kerala government. The Kerala government has also agreed to provide Tamil Nadu with proper access to the dam site through the forest area," he said.
The committee also discussed the next steps based on the upcoming report of the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) survey assessing the dam's underwater condition. "Once the report is available, Kerala will take a quick decision and allow the grouting work to proceed," Anil Jain said.
He further said that the supervisory sub-committees had finalized the scope of work for comprehensive dam safety evaluation. "Both states will submit their list of experts to be empanelled in the independent panel of experts required for the evaluation. As per regulations, NDSA will make the final decision on forming the panel," he added.
When asked about Tamil Nadu's request for maintenance work on the baby dam, Anil Jain said it depended on obtaining permission from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF) for felling trees. "Both states have agreed to approach the MoEF to expedite the process of granting permission," he said.
Earlier in the morning, the committee led by NDSA chairman Anil Jain, NDSA Member(Disaster & Resilience) Rakesh Toteja, Nodal officer -ICED, IISC, Banglore Anand Ramasamy, TN Supervisory Committee Secretary J Jayakanthan, Kerala Supervisory Committee member Bishwanath Sinha, Supervisory committee Chairman R Subramanian and ISW, Gok Member R Priyesh inspected the Mullai Periyar dam, baby dam, and other parts of the area.