Tension brews between Kerala, TN on overflowing Mullaperiyar Dam

August 15, 2018

Idukki (Kerala): The contentious Mullaperiyar Dam issue between Kerala and Tamil Nadu, which is now before the Supreme Court following heavy rains over the past week, is likely to trigger fresh tension between the two states.

Although the dam is located in Kerala, it serves and is operated by Tamil Nadu, and Kerala has for long been demanding de-commissioning of the dam which has over the years developed leaks.

On account of the huge rains that hit Idukki in the past one week, in the wee hours of Wednesday around 2.35 a.m, the sluice gates of the dam were opened after the water level touched 142 feet mark.

Incidentally, the route that the water from the Mullaperiyar Dam takes reaches the catchment area of the Idukki dam, which is also overflowing currently.

Tamil Nadu has all along maintained that the dam is safe, and a Supreme Court directive in May 2014 allowed the state to increase the water level from 136 feet to a maximum of 142 feet.

Kerala and Tamil Nadu have been at loggerheads over the dam, built under an 1886 accord between the then Maharaja of Travancore and the erstwhile British regime.

With the ongoing downpour in and around Idukki dam, there is anxiety over the way Tamil Nadu would handle the water level in the dam, as they use the waters of the dam using large penstock pipes for irrigating their farmland.

Reports have surfaced that Tamil Nadu has now reduced its offtake to prove a point that the dam is safe and the water level in the dam could be raised further to 152 feet.

After a review meeting on Wednesday, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told the media now that the water level in the dam has touched 142 feet, he would soon speak to his counterpart in Tamil Nadu and also to the Centre to appraise them of the gravity of the situation.

Anxious people living around the dam and downstream reacted sharply to the way things are being handled and wished that this is the time that the Supervisory Committee of the apex court should make a visit to the dam site and see for themselves that danger lurks here. (IANS)

No barter on JPC, Rahul’s case is matter of distortion: Jairam Rames

New Delhi: The Congress on Wednesday said that there could not be barter on the demand for a JPC in lieu of Rahul Gandhi's apology. While addressing a press conference...

100 FIRs, 6 arrested for pasting posters against PM across Delhi

New Delhi: Delhi Police have arrested six men while 100 FIRs have been registered in connection with the posters against Prime Minister Narendra Modi which were found pasted on the...

Major quake shakes north India, triggers panic

New Delhi: Strong tremors, lasting for several seconds, shook most of north India on Tuesday evening, creating panic among the people. According to the US Geological Services, the 6.5 magnitude...

JD-U’s new Executive Committee announced, K.C. Tyagi not in list

Patna: After a long time, Janata Dal United (JD-U) on Tuesday announced a new national Executive Committee and senior leader Mangni Lal Mandal has been given the post of national...

‘Bunch of illiterate people from top to bottom’: Kejriwal on Delhi Budget row

New Delhi: Addressing the ongoing Delhi assembly session over the budget row, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said that "there is a bunch of illiterate people from top to...

Biden okays bill to declassify intelligence info on Covid origins

Washington: US President Joe Biden has signed a bill to declassify intelligence information on the origins of the Covid pandemic, which has so far claimed more than seven million lives...

Mumbai court rejects Javed Akhtar’s plea over remarks comparing RSS with Taliban

A sessions court in Mumbai rejected a plea filed by lyricist Javed Akhtar challenging a Magistrate order summoning him in a criminal defamation complaint for his alleged remarks comparing the...

Sambit Patra calls Rahul Gandhi present-day Mir Jafar of Indian politics

New Delhi: BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra on Tuesday called Congress leader Rahul Gandhi present-day Mir Jafar of Indian politics and sought an apology over the latter's speech in the...

Kejriwal writes to PM Modi over ‘stopping’ Delhi Budget

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over "stopping" of the national capital's Budget. "For the first time in the history of...

Moscow opens criminal case against ICC over Putin warrant

Moscow: The International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor and judges, who issued an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin, have become the targets of a criminal case, Russias Investigative Committee announced...

Delhi govt tables Eco Survey, per capita income grew by 14.18% in 2022-23

New Delhi: The national capital's per capita income grew by 14.18 per cent at the current prices in 2022-23 to Rs 4,44,768 compared to Rs 3,89,529 during 2021-22, the Delhi...

LS adjourned for the day amid protests by treasury benches over Rahul’s remarks

New Delhi: The Lok Sabha was on Monday adjourned for the day till Tuesday after noisy protests by treasury benches over Rahul Gandhi's remarks on democracy. As soon as the...

Read Previous

Forex reserves comfortable to counter rupee fall: Jaitley

Read Next

Australian Senate appoints first Muslim woman member amid race row

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

WP2Social Auto Publish Powered By : XYZScripts.com