Bomb threat prompts search of Kerala's century-old Mullaperiyar dam

As soon as the information was received, a team of police and the bomb squad rushed to the dam site and carried out searches there, police said.

Idukki (Kerala): Police in the Idukki district of Kerala said on Monday that security personnel conducted intensive searches at the more than a century-old Mullaperiyar dam here following a bomb threat.

An email, threatening to blow up the reservoir, was received at the district collectorate in neighbouring Thrissur, police said.

As soon as the information was received, a team of police and the bomb squad rushed to the dam site and carried out searches there, they said.

"Nothing suspicious has been found so far. The inspection is still continuing," a police officer added.

Built in 1895, the Mullaperiyar dam is a bone of contention between Tamil Nadu, which owns and operates it, and Kerala, where it is located.

The bomb threat was received on a day when the Supreme Court issued notice to the Centre, the Tamil Nadu and Kerala governments, as well as the NDMA, on a PIL seeking construction of a new dam to replace the 130-year-old dam following concerns over its safety and structural stability.