Kerala raises concerns over Mullaperiyar dam again

Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Monday expressed serious concern over the danger the Mullaperiyar dam poses to the people, upset by Tamil Nadu’s decision to go ahead with the Supreme Court order to raise the height of the 117-year-old reservoir.

“The Tamil Nadu government should understand these concerns. We are only worried about the safety of the dam and the safety of the people of Kerala,” Chandy said at the Chennai airport.
Tamil Nadu had, disagreeing with Kerala on maintaining the storage height at 136 feet, moved the Supreme Court to get the dam height raised to 142 feet and got an order in its favour.

Stating that Kerala’s stand on Mullaperiyar is very clear, the chief minister said: “We are always ready to give water to Tamil Nadu. The dam is 117 years old. We are afraid about the safety of the dam, so we express our feelings in the mutual discussions held between the two state governments, the central government and also in the court.” Chandy said talk were on between the two state governments about the three-member committee inspecting the dam.

“We know the importance of water, which will fertile around five to six districts in Tamil Nadu.” The Kerala Chief Minister said his state always favoured cordial relations with Tamil Nadu and wanted the dam issue to be resolved through negotiation.