By IANS
Idukki (Kerala) : For hundreds of villagers living in the shadow of Mullaperiyar dam in Kerala, life is spent in perennial fear as the century-old dam crossed the danger mark of 136 feet after incessant rain in the past week and threatens to flood the nearby villages.
The dam on the Periyar river in Idukki district, around 250 km from here on the border with Tamil Nadu, is weak and experts since the late 70’s have been suggesting that the dam has outlived its life and a new dam needs to be constructed.
“For the past one week the fears have increased and it peaks when TV channels show the dam leaking. Sleeping near a leaking dam, we don’t know how many have faced this,” C.P. Roy chairman of the Mullaperiyar Samara Samithi told IANS.
An alert has been sounded and the villagers are in a state of panic even though the district officials have told them that water would be diverted through a spillway into the Idukki reservoir.
“A fear psychosis prevails in the entire area. People sitting far away won’t understand the problems faced by those living in and around the dam,” said Roy who is leading the protesters in demanding a new dam and their relay hunger strike has entered the 320th day.
Speaking to IANS N.K. Premachandran, Kerala irrigation minister said that following the rise in the water level, an expert committee was sent to the site Sunday to conduct a study.
“They have submitted the report and have found out that the dam is leaking more than the previous years and concrete at some places has given away. This gives credence to our constant plea that close to five districts in the state would be in trouble,” said Premachandran.
The Kerala government last month cleared the proposal for construction of a new dam, but Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi said his government would not allow Kerala to construct a new dam.
The Tamil Nadu government is demanding that the water level of the dam should be raised to 142 feet to meet its increasing irrigation demands.
“Kerala needs no sanction from Tamil Nadu to construct a new dam and more over the proposed site of the new dam is 1,300 meters below the present dam. The only sanction that we require is from the ministry of environment and if it objects just because the ministry is handled by a minister from Tamil Nadu, it would be against the spirit of federalism,” said Premachandran.
The Mullaperiyar dam was built under an agreement signed in 1886 between the Maharaja of Travancore and the British administration in the Madras presidency.
It granted rights to the Madras presidency to construct and maintain the dam located in the erstwhile Travancore state and divert water to irrigate arid lands in Madurai region.