Thiruvananthapuram: Going ahead with its
crisis management programme for the Mullaperiyar dam, the
Kerala government on Tuesday said it has completed the `dam-break
analysis` at the 116-year-old reservoir over which it is
locked in dispute with Tamil Nadu.
Giving details of the disaster management plan, Water
Resources Minister PJ Joseph told the Assembly as a first
phase, government had also completed the study of `Dam-Break
Flood situation` from Mullaperiyar reservoir to the downstream
Idukki dam. The studies were conducted by IIT-Roorkee.
Joseph was replying to a calling attention motion of ES
Bijimol (CPI), who wanted government to take steps to ensure
the safety of the residents living in the area between the two
dams.
As per the analysis report, the water level down the
Mullaperiayar dam area would rise by 40.30 m and in Idukki
dam, which is about 36 km from Mullaperiyar, the level would
go up to 20.85 m, if anything adverse happened to the over
century-old reservoir.
A calamity, if it happens, would directly affect 32,503
people and 8,942 houses in seven villages situated down the
dam as per a preliminary study by the government, he said.
Sixty-nine shelters would have to be built for the safety
of people and total cost estimated for the construction was Rs
20 crore. The dam-break analysis between Idukki dam to Arabian
Sea area in Kochi was progressing, Joseph said.
Discussions have begun on plans to implement the
Incidents Response System by coordinating different
departments during the time of any disaster, he said.
Acting Governor HR Bhardwaj had said last week that the
Kerala State Disaster Management Authority has formulated a
crisis management plan for the dam in the wake of `grave
risks` arising from its safety.
Kerala is insisting on building a new dam, citing safety
concerns, but Tamil Nadu is against it, saying the present
structure was strong. The dispute is now before the Supreme
Court, which has appointed an Empowered Committee to examine
the safety and other aspects of the present dam.
PTI
