Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan on Monday said that a new dam would be built at Mullaperiyar, the focal point of a dispute between the state and Tamil Nadu that is before the Supreme Court.

“The case is coming up for hearing on Tuesday in the Supreme Court and steps for building a new dam would be taken accordingly," Achuthanandan told the Legislative Assembly.

Become weak
Officials say, the 111-year-old Mullaperiyar dam on the Periyar river in Idukki district, 240 km from here on border with Tamil Nadu, has become weak.

The heavy monsoon rains in Kerala last week led to the water level inside the dam crossing the danger level of 135 feet, threatening floods in nearby villages.

At a recent all-party meeting, leg islators agreed that only a new dam could quell the fears of villagers in the vicinity.

Kerala and Tamil Nadu have been at loggerheads over the dam built under an agreement signed in 1886 between the then maharaja of Travancore and the British administration.