Mullaperiyar dam

2021 OCT 26

Preliminary   > Geography   >   Dams and reservoirs   >   Dams and reservoirs

Why in news?

  • The Supreme Court on October 25, 2021 directed the Supervisory Committee to take an immediate decision on the maximum water level that can be maintained at Mullaperiyar dam amidst torrential rains in Kerala.

More about the news:

  • In a UN report published in 2021, the dam was identified as one among the world's big dams which needs to be decommissioned due to being 'situated in a seismically active area with significant structural flaws and poses risk to millions of people.

About the dam:

  • Mullaperiyar Dam is a masonry gravity dam on the Periyar River in Kerala
  • It is located on the Cardamom Hills of the Western Ghats in Thekkady, Idukki District of Kerala. But it is operated and maintained by Tamil Nadu.
  • It was constructed between 1887 and 1895 by John Pennycuick and also reached in an agreement to divert water eastwards to the Madras Presidency area (present-day Tamil Nadu).
  • The dam was made with concrete prepared from limestone and ‘surkhi’  (burnt brick powder), and faced with rubble.
  • The Periyar National Park in Thekkady is located around the dam's reservoir.
  • The dam is built at the confluence of Mullayar and Periyar rivers.

Construction and lease:

  • In 1886, a lease indenture for 999 years was made between the Maharaja of Travancore, Visakham Thirunal Rama Varma and the British Secretary of State for India for Periyar Irrigation Works.
  • The lease provided the British the rights over "all the waters" of the Mullaperiyar and its catchment basin, for an annual rent.
  • After Independence there were several failed attempts to renew the agreement between Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
  • The agreement was renewed in 1970, and as per this agreement >> Tamil Nadu government has been paying to the Kerala government for the past 50 years ? 2.5 lakhs as tax per year for the whole land and ? 7.5 lakhs per year as surcharge for the total amount of electricity generated.

Interstate dispute:

  • The control and safety of the dam and the validity and fairness of the lease agreement have been points of dispute between Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
  • In 2006, the Supreme Court allowed for the storage level to be raised to 142 feet pending completion of the proposed strengthening measures.
  • However, Kerala legislature attempted to nullify the Supreme Court judgement through ‘Kerala Irrigation and Water Conservation (Amendment) Act, 2006’.
  • The court invalidated the legislation for being violative of the doctrine of separation of powers and intervening with the judicial process. The court has lucidly stated that the legislature cannot declare a decision of court void or no effect.
  • In 2010, the Supreme Court decided to constitute a five-member empowered committee (Justice A.S. Anand Committee) to study all the issues of Mullaperiyar Dam. The committee reported that the dam is "structurally, hydrologically safe, and Tamil Nadu can raise the water level from 136 to 142 feet after carrying out repairs."
  • In 2014 the Supreme Court constituted a permanent Supervisory Committee to oversee all the aspects of the Mullaperiyar dam.

Add ons:

  • The safety of the dam again rose to public attention in 2021 after the flood situation in Kerala since 2018 and the destruction of Rishiganga hydroelectric project & Tapovan dam in Uttarakhand following a glacier burst.

PRACTICE QUESTION:

Consider the following pairs:

   Dam                         : River

1. Tapovan          : Dhauliganga

2. Mullaperiyar  : Periyar

3. Tehri              : Subarnarekha

Which of the pairs given above is/are correct?

(a) 2 only

(b) 1 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 2 only

(d) 1,2 and 3

Answer