Mullaperiyar -Many lives

The Pioneer

Two States, one dam, many lives

Tuesday, 22 December 2015

 M.S.Menon

The Centre needs to intervene in the Mullaperiyar dam issue. It should authorise construction of a new dam and set up a control board, jointly manned by Tamil Nadu and Kerala. This will allay fears of both States

The recent incessant rains and resulting floods in Tamil Nadu had its repercussions on  the Mullaperiyar reservoir, threatening the safety of the century old dam there. As Tamil Nadu could not divert the alarmingly increasing water flows into the reservoir, due to the limited capacity of its conveyance system, the wait-and-watch attitude of the authorities led to the rise in water levels in the reservoir, threatening the dam structure and causing many sleepless nights for the inhabitants downstream.

Though Kerala has been insisting for a regulated release of the flood waters from the dam, Tamil Nadu has ignored all such demands — even that of the high powered committee set up by the Supreme Court to monitor the water levels. Subsequently, aghast by the continued rains in the catchment and the inflows alarmingly raising  the reservoir levels, the authorities had a knee-jerk reaction: They opened some of the shutters of the dam in the midnight, to release the floodwaters, thereby, causing havoc and untold sufferings to the residents in the valley.

The failure of these authorities in proper operation and management of reservoirs is also evident in Chennai city, where, as a panic reaction, floodwaters from the reservoirs were released into already swelling downstream channels, enhancing the existing flood situation there.

The incident has made it necessary for Kerala to push its earlier proposal of a new dam, since it has been proven that Tamil Nadu is not be able to handle such crisis situations when reservoir inflows increase alarmingly due to unpredicted rainfall events, thereby, threatening the safety of the dam structure.

Though the dam has been certified as safe by experts, being an old structure, constructed using obsolete technology, the possibility of failure and consequent turmoil in the event of unexpected floods occurring due to climate changes cannot be ruled out, as experiences in Kashmir and Uttarakhand have shown.

Kerala’s insistence on a new dam is justified under the Precautionary Principle of the 1984 Bermen Ministerial Declaration which warrants risk prevention through proactive measures against specific environment or safety risk. Since the parameters considered for the safety study of the dam have been upset by the recent occurrence of rains in the catchment, which surpassed all predictions by experts, the Precautionary  Principle  has to be given due weightage in the present suggestion for a new structure.

Similarly, old Anicuts constructed across the Godavari, Mahanadi and Krishna rivers, though considered safe, were replaced in the recent past by new structures for the safety of the people living  downstream. At the same time, the new structures also ensure uninterrupted irrigation supply.

Time and again, Kerala has assured Tamil Nadu that the waters of the Mullaperiyar, as agreed to in the 1893 Treaty, will be made fully available from the new dam for use by that State. But it appears, Tamil Nadu is still apprehensive of such assurances and, hence, is opposing the construction of a new dam.

In the meanwhile, to cover  up its failure in handling the crisis situation which arose due to the unexpected flood  flows into the reservoir, Tamil Nadu has approached the Centre seeking that Central forces be posted at the dam complex, in place of Kerala Police, who are presently securing the area. Such a change, if agreed to by the Centre, will tantamount to amending some of the Treaty provisions.

Next, Tamil Nadu may seek the Centre’s intervention in transferring the entire area to itself, citing similar reasons, so as to indirectly modify the clauses in the Treaty, instead of approaching Kerala for reviewing the Treaty provisions. This is going to escalate the dispute.

The Centre has all along taken the stand that the present dispute has to be settled by mutual discussions by the parties concerned. However, since the dispute is also a question of life and death for the people in the valley if something untoward happens to the dam structure due to changing climatic events, it has to intervene immediately in the issue.

Taking into consideration  the risks involved, the Centre should agree to construct a new dam, keeping the Precautionary Principle in view. For the operation and maintenance of the new dam, the Centre should constitute a control board with members from the two States that will be chaired by the Centre. This body may be similar to the Tungabhadra Control Board.

Such an arrangement will allay the fears of Tamil Nadu regarding the availability of water and the fears of Kerala about the collapse of the old dam. This is a win-win situation for both.

(The writer is a former Member Secretary, Indian National Committee on Irrigation and Drainage, Central Water Commission)