KOCHI: Pointing out that a team of irrigation department officers who visited Mullaperiyar dam has noticed leakage in various block points of the main dam, Kerala on Tuesday sought directions from the Supreme Court to conduct a fresh review of the safety of the dam by an independent panel of experts, including those from abroad.
In the reply affidavit to the status report of the Central Water Commission, submitted before the Supreme Court, Kerala demanded that the Mullaperiyar Supervisory Committee should inspect the dam when water is stored at the maximum permissible level.
“Wet area/leaching was observed in various block points downstream face of the main dam and also on the left abutment of spillway during the visit of Kerala Irrigation Department officials to Mullaperiyar dam on December 22, 2021. There was no rain in the dam site since December 13. The Irrigation chief engineer who visited Mullaperiyar on February 12, 2022, also observed wet area and leakage on the downstream face of the dam,” Kerala submitted in the reply affidavit.
However, the chairman of the supervisory committee in his letter dated March 4, 2022, informed Kerala that the Sub-Committee was not informed about the leakages.During the Sub-Committee visit on the dam on February 25, 2022, no wet area was observed except in block 14.
In these circumstances a fresh review of the safety of Mullaperiyar by an independent panel of experts comprising qualified engineers and experts is essential, Kerala submitted. The panel of experts should comprise qualified engineers and experts in the field of design, geology, hydrology, hydro-mechanical dam safety, construction and supervision, instrumentation and seismicity.
The Central Water Commission shall consider including international experts also. The terms of reference of the study and details of the agencies for conducting the tests should be shared with the party states and approved by the supervisory committee. The test study reports and the findings should be shared with Kerala.
SC to resume hearing today
The Supreme Court bench headed by Justice A M Khanwilkar hearing the Mullaperiyar case adjourned the case to Wednesday as Tamil Nadu sought time to study the reply affidavit filed by Kerala. Though the Central Water Commission had filed its status report on January 25, Kerala filed a reply affidavit only on Monday night.