Kochi fears bursting of Mullaperiyar Dam

Denizens of this city, holding a seven lakh population, are living in constant fear of an apocalypse, a total destruction. Fear persists over the likely burst of the over 125-year-old British era Mullaperiyar Dam, set some 160 km to the east along the Tamil Nadu border. More so as the rains keep pounding Kerala in iterations and the water level in the dam keeps rising.

The dam is located 881 metre above mean sea level. Its water could reach up to the Arabian Sea, the sands of which host Kochi city. Fed by the heavy rainfall in Western Ghats region, the dam's water level often crosses the danger mark. There also is the fear of a dam burst as it is situated in a seismically active zone and tremors had taken place in the region. Kochi is Kerala's principal commercial hub and a fast-growing city.

Problem, however, is that two states -- Kerala and Tamil Nadu -- will have to take a joint decision and share expenses if the present dam is to be condemned and a new dam built. Kerala has sent several SOS to Tamil Nadu in the past, but it had got a Supreme Court certificate saying the dam is safe -- meaning, there was no urgent need for a new dam.

CMs to meet

While a fresh sense of urgency about the building of a new dam arose, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin would hold discussions with his Kerala counterpart Pinarayi Vijayan in Chennai in December, at which Kerala's plea to build another dam will be discussed in detail. The existing dam was inaugurated in the 1890s.

The dam is geographically located inside Kerala, in the Western Ghats along the border region, but is maintained and managed by Tamil Nadu. Farmers in several districts of Tamil Nadu depend on the water from Mullaperiyar.

Officials of the Tamil Nadu Water Resources Department said the two CMs, who are on friendly terms, will take a realistic look at the scenario.

The Tamil Nadu government has not entirely ruled out the rebuilding of the dam, which is a main source of water for it. Kerala receives heavy rains while Tamil Nadu is perennially facing serious water shortage due to lack of sufficient rains.

Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has lent his weight behind the plea for rebuilding of Mullaperiyar Dam, saying it is too old and the people downstream of the dam are deeply concerned about their safety should the dam burst. He said a new dam was the need of the hour.

Mullaperiyar is a masonry gravity dam set at the confluence of Mullayar and Periyar, two rivers. It was constructed with concrete made of limestone and burnt brick powder, not cement, between 1887 and 1895 by British engineer John Pennycuick. Though the catchment area for the dam is fully in Kerala, an agreement during the British term was that the water will be shared between Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

If the dam bursts, Kochi apart, the destruction will span 3.5million people downstream of the dam including those living on the banks of Periyar that flows to the west from the ghats and ends up in the Arabian Sea.

UN alert

Notably, a recent assessment by United Nations University, the academic and research arm of UN, was that Mullaperiyar dam situated in a seismically active area faced the risk of bursting. This further heightened fears in Kerala and some political parties have intensified the demand for a new dam.

The report, titled "Ageing water storage infrastructure: An emerging global risk", said the ageing of dams is a threat to human safety and environment. "The Mullaperiyar dam constructed in 1895 is situated in a landslide-prone area and if there is dam failure, the lives of 3.5 million people would be affected," it said.

It also noted that in 2011, the Idukki region where the dam is situated experienced a series of tremors, and that, after an earthquake measured 3.5 on the Ritcher scale, the water level in the dam rose more than usual – a danger signal.

Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan had written a letter to TN chief minister Stalin, urging him to release more water from the dam in view of the heavy rains in Kerala, and also facilitate a discussion on the plea to build a new dam to ensure safety for the people of Kerala TN.