Mullaperiyar Dam – History, Controversies, Issues

Mullaperiyar Dam shows the conflict and the connection between Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The Mullaperiyar Dam is a masonry gravity dam that is 126 years old. The dam is located across the Periyar River in the Indian State of Kerala. The decree was administered while listening to a requisition increasing uneasiness about the management of water decks of the puddle, particularly during the drizzling season. Kerala has been receiving heavy rainfalls for the year. The inflow of the water in the dam is comparatively high during  October 18-25 of every year. Tamil Nadu has been pulling as much water as conceivable so that the tier does not correspond to the admissible level. Many disputes are surrounding the Mullaperiyar Dam as it is regarded as the storehouse from which both states find the source of water. The recent issues associated with the Mullaperiyar Dam are raising confusion amongst people.

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History of Mullaperiyar Dam

Pennycuik designed the river in such a way to interlink states to make cultivation a possibility.  The empty and barren lands without rain areas were saved. The cultivation was made easy. The road from Kollam-Theni national highway was created for bullock coaches to transfer supplies to the embankment zone. It was completed between 1887 and 1895 by John Pennycuick when the British Administration determined to hinder the water eastward to benefit the agriculturalists in the Madras presidency. Madras’s Presidency is now known as Tamilnadu. The first-ever ropeway can also be found here, the ropeway was now shifted to the region of Munnar. It is now 126 years old. The Mullaperiyar Dam is situated on the River Periyar and is, directly and indirectly, connected to its tributaries. The Mulla Periyar is located in the Mullayar in the state of Kerala. The Mulla Periyar stands in the amalgamation Mulla-Periyar. Located above 881 m above sea level. It is outstretching over the Thekkady, Idukki district of Kerala, India upon the Cardamom Hills of the Western Ghats.

Joined forces with an understanding between the Pandya kings who ruled Madurai and the former Travancore kingdom, resulted in the signing of the water-sharing agreement. This resulted in further controversies and issues between Kerala and Tamilnadu.  Pivoting the Periyar as the Kingdom of Madurai which was facing heavy water shortage, the Madras Presidency under British rule came up with a bright idea to save the land and agriculture by coming up with a plan which leads to the construction of the Mullaperiyar Dam.

The majesty of Cochin State originally opposed the water supply system as it was worried that the dam would simulate water flow and the tendency of oozing out of the goods and people via the Periyar to the Arabian sea.

A lease indenture for 999 years was implemented on 29 October 1886 between the Maharaja of Travancore and the British Secretary. This is aimed at the Periyar Irrigation Works. After Independence, Kerala and Tamil Nadu were formed and the government of Kerala deemed the former agreement as invalid agreement as it was signed by the British Raj and Travancore. The attempts to renew the government agreement happened simultaneously in 1958, 1960, and 1969. But finally in 1970 when C Achutha Menon was Kerala’s Chief Minister, the agreement was renewed.

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Mullaperiyar Dam – Controversies

As per the revised agreement, the taxation per acre was raised and for the electricity developed in Lower Camp operating Mullaperiyar water, the demand was ₹12 per kW per hour. Tamil Nadu operates the water and the ground, and the Tamil Nadu government has been delivering to the Kerala government for the past 50 years tax per year for the whole land and extra as a tariff for the total amount of electricity developed. The security of the dam similarly increased to shared engagement in 2021 after the overflow problem in Kerala in 2018 and the collapse of the Rishiganga hydroelectric project & Tapovan embankment in Uttarakhand following a glacier explosion that extinguished about 200 individuals.

A UN report on hazards enclosed by aging embankments across the world. They commented that the Mullaperiyar dam situated in a seismically active area can create a major threat to the lives of 5 million people as the 126-year-old dam’s explosion can be dangerous. The Supreme court has accepted the two filed petitions. The problems and issues are still in the air.

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Mullaperiyar Dam – Issues

Kerala has indicated the unfairness of the 1886 lease agreement and has questioned its validity. The threat posed by the 126-year-old dam and the safety of the people if the old dam collapses are all the concerns that resulted in the disputes. It happened from the year 2009 onwards. Decommissioning the dam and the construction of the new dam is always challenged and threatened by the Tamilnadu government. Tamilnadu blamed Kerala for the delay of the rule curve finalization. The problem remains unsolved to date. Kerala has blamed Tamil Nadu for embracing an “outdated” gate function program dating 1939. In 2006, the Supreme Court verdicts came into being which includes the three-member division court, qualifying for the repository status to be increased to 142 feet (43 m) pending consummation of the suggested strengthening standards, condition of other extra vent holes, and implementation of other recommendations.

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