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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Water, not safety, Kerala’s main issue: TN farmers by Gopu Mohan

Water, not safety, Kerala’s main issue: TN farmers by Gopu Mohan

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published Published on Dec 2, 2011   modified Modified on Dec 2, 2011

-The Indian Express

Unmoved by the blitzkrieg from Kerala about the “imminent collapse” of the Mullaperiyar dam, those in support of Tamil Nadu’s stand on the dispute argue that their neighbour’s catchy slogan ‘safety for Kerala, water for Tamil Nadu’ does not capture the devil that is in the detail.

While Kerala has pegged its campaign for a new dam completely on the safety aspect of the older one, which it claims is a question of thousands of lives downstream, activists here charge that the dispute is not about the structure but about the water it holds.

Though the demand for a new dam — that too completely paid for by the Kerala government — looks reasonable on the face of it, the proposed site for the new structure is few hundred metres downhill which would affect water offtake to Tamil Nadu, according to Five District Farmers’ Association president K M Abbas.

“The issue is about the water that Kerala wants for electricity production at downstream Idukki hydroelectric plant, though the original agreement specifically promises ‘all the waters’ from the river to Tamil Nadu. The authorities there are not telling the complete truth to the people, and are instead inciting them by causing fear of death in them,” he alleged.

For instance, the dead storage (the amount of water that cannot be transferred) at the existing structure is 104 feet and the maximum water level maintained at present is 136 feet. “Kerala does say they will ensure that the new dam will have 136 feet of water, but what they don’t reveal is that the dead storage there is about 126 feet. If you calculate the water that is spread across several square kilometres (14.3 sq km at 136 ft and 25.52 sq km at full capacity of 152 ft), it is a significant reduction in total volume of movable water,” he said.

The safety of the 116-year-old structure was vouched by expert committees several times in the recent years, a guarantee accepted by the Supreme Court, which then directed Kerala to permit restoration of water level as demanded by Tamil Nadu, he said. Abbas, a farmer from border town Cumbam was among the original petitioners in the case.

On its part, Kerala commissioned studies, including that by IIT Roorkee, which raised concerns about the safety of the over a century-old dam in the event of major tremors.

“The charge that the authorities and people here are not sympathetic to the lives of the people of Kerala is unfair and cruel. In fact, if you look at the demography of the local population in the regions that will be affected in case of a dam collapse, majority are Tamils. We are fully satisfied about the integrity of the structure,” said Abbas, who had attended several meetings in Kerala in 2008 to explain the stand to the local residents there. “We receive thousands of litres of water, and we give thousands of tonnes of produces in return. Over 13 lakh tonnes of milk, 25 lakh tonnes of vegetables and other food produces; construction materials like sand and bricks; and even the feed for the elephants go from these districts across the border on 6,000 trucks every month. The relationship is symbiotic,” he pointed out.

According to sources, the lease agreement over the existing structure entrust the maintenance and operation of the dam with Tamil Nadu PWD, whereas it is unlikely that the Kerala government will agree to continue this arrangement in the event of commissioning a new dam. Also, while the detailed project report says the river is an intra-state one on which Tamil Nadu has no riparian rights, the figures here suggest that of the total 777 sq km catchment area of the river, 257 sq km is in the state.

Reduce water level, Chandy tells Jaya

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Thursday sent a letter to his Tamil Nadu counterpart J Jayalalithaa, urging her to bring down the water level at Mullaperiyar dam from 136 feet to 120 feet. He said the decision on lowering the water level should not be delayed on the grounds that the issue was pending before the Supreme Court and its empowered committee.

Quoting an IIT report, Chandy said the dam would not withstand an earthquake of a magnitude of 6 in the Richter scale. The water level at the dam has gone beyond the permissible level due to heavy rainfall.

Don’t want to create panic: DMK

New Delhi: Taking a cautious approach on the Mullaperiyar dam row, the DMK on Thursday asked the Centre to take a right decision as the party does not want to create panic among people. “We are soft pedalling the issue and do not want to create panic in the minds of people. Our leader has issued a statement today that solution must be found to this sensitive issue which will be mutually agreed upon and which will be beneficial to the people of both states,” said DMK MP T Siva. "The Centre should take the right decision... the matter is before Supreme Court. 

ENS & PTI 


The Indian Express, 2 December, 2011, http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Water--not-safety--Kerala-s-main-issue--TN-farmers/882969/


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