Update on Mullaperiyar

Panel against water level increase

The National Expert Committee appointed by the Kerala Government for conducting an Ecological Impact Assessment study of water level increase at Mullaperiyar dam has warned about serious ecological impact, in case the water level is increased from 136 ft to 152 ft.

The experts recommended the constitution of a committee chaired by the Chief Minister that includes representatives of all the related departments for handling the issue related to the water level increase. The report, which contains 8 recommendations, was handed over to the Kerala Water Resources Minister by the committee chairman Dhrubajyoti Ghosh on Tuesday.

The three-member committee, constituted by the State Govt. in March this year, had visited the dam and premises, interacted with the locals and referred several study reports related to the safety of the dam before finalizing the report.

‘The study about the safety of the dam was beyond our purview. But, we have quoted some independent studies that suggest there are chances of the dam bursting in case the water level is raised above 136 ft.” said Ghosh.

The following are the other major recommendations.

• The ecological impact of the dam breaking will be catastrophic. It can be avoided by restricting the water level in the reservoir within the present limit.

• Any increase in water level will submerge a greater part of critical grassland of the Periyar ecosystem and this may impair the food chain of the endangered tiger, whose prey base is the deer depending on the grassland. In addition, the loss of grasslands will adversely affect animal sighting, driving away the tourists. A detailed Environmental Impact Assessment needs to be carried out to understand the ecological impact of raising the water level.

• Signs of distress and fear are visible among the tribals living around the settlement areas comprising six villages. This state of distress in the minds of settlers, particularly the children, should be separately studied.

• All the engineering efforts to raise the water level should be put on hold till the completion of the EIA studies. This is also because any large scale prolonged movement of men, material and machinery through a patch of land, which is endowed with rich bio-diversity, is not desirable.

• Strict adherence to section 9 of the wildlife(protection) act, 1972, that prevents the entry of anyone into a sanctuary without obtaining permit from the Chief Wildlife Warden.

• To minimize the damage on the protected eco system, any decision regarding the strengthening of the dam or any new construction will require the involvement of the Forest Department.

• Raising of the water level would mean displacement of a larger number of families along with their economic activities. The question of allowing additional water to Tamil Nadu will also have to be weighed against the lives and livelihood of these tribal people.

Apart from Ghosh, who is the South Asia vice chairman on IUCN Ecosystem Management, the other members of the committee were HSA Yahya, Professor of Wild Life Sciences, Aligarh Muslim University and Sarojkumar Patnaik, former additional principal chief conservator of forests, Orissa.

Meanwhile, the Kerala Chief Minister asserted that the building of a new dam was the only solution to resolve the Mullaperiyar issue. The impression that Kerala would deny water to Tamil Nadu after the building of the new dam was totrally erroneous, he said. On the contrary, the purpose of the proposed new dam is to give water to Tamil Nadu. He stated that the present dam is unsafe and that around 35 lakh people will be affected if the dam bursts. ‘Kerala is willing to hold talks with the Tamil Nadu Government. We always believe in solving the issue through talks’ Achuthanandan said.

The Mullaperiyar Dam issue

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