Kerala – God's Own country

മുല്ലപെരിയാര്‍ അണക്കെട്ട് തകര്‍നാല്‍

116 വര്‍ഷം പഴക്കമുള്ള മുല്ലപെരിയാര്‍ അണക്കെട്ട് തകര്‍നാല്‍ 35 ലക്ഷം മലയാളികളും 5 ജില്ലകളും നിമിഷ നേരം കൊണ്ടു കടലിലെത്തും. ശവ ശരീരങ്ങള്‍ കാരണം മാരക രോഗങ്ങള്‍ പിടിപെട്ടു മറ്റുള്ള ജില്ലകളിലെ ജനങ്ങളും കാല യവനികക്കുള്ളില്‍ മറയും…. ഇനി അധികം സമയം വേണ്ടി വരില്ല… കാത്തിരുന്നു കാണാം…

ലക്ഷക്കണക്കിന്‌ മലയാളികളുടെ ജീവന്‍ വച്ച് തമിഴ്നാട് പണം ഉണ്ടാക്കുന്നു… ഇനിയും അനങ്ങാതെ നിന്നാല്‍ സുഗമായി വെള്ളത്തില്‍ മുങ്ങി ശ്വാസം കിട്ടാതെ മലയാളികള്‍ക്ക് മരിക്കാം.. മാര്‍കിസ്റ്റും കൊണ്ഗ്രെസ്സും ബിജേപ്പിയും മുസ്ലിം ലീഗും ഒന്നിച്ചു നില്‍കേണ്ട സമയം അതിക്രമിച്ചു കഴിഞ്ഞു… ഇനിയും തമ്മില്‍ തല്ലി നിന്നാല്‍… എല്ലാര്ക്കും സുഗ മരണം..

The Mulla Periyar dam was built by the then Madras Government by taking the land on Periyar River basin on lease for 999 years from Travancore state. Tamil Nadu diverts about 640Mm3 (about 22.5 TMC) of water from the Periyar Reservoir annually for generation of hydro-power and irrigation of lands in Madurai district . It is argued that if storage depth of Mullaperiyar dam is increased from 136ft to 152 ft. Tamil Nadu will get additionally 320 Mm3 (11.25 TMC)of water from the reservoir and consequently the storage of Idduki reservoir below this Periyar Dam gets reduced from its present capacityof about 2000 Mm3 (70 TMC) to a lesser value. In addition the Dam safety and Disaster management problems have assumed crucial importance in view of the recurring earthquakes and the frequent increases in the seepage of water through this aging dam.

While Tamilnadu is demanding for raising the reservoir level to 152 feet for taking more water to meet the growing needs of the farmers,Kerala is insisting on maintaining the reservoir level at 136 feet to ensure the safety of the Dam in view of its deterioration due to age.The problem must solved amicably because the people of both the states are misunderstanding each other resulting in social unrest.The people of Tamilnadu must be happy as kerala has agreed to continue to maintain the reservoir level to 136 feet even if if it werwe to result in a collapse of the dam due to a maximum credible accident for one reason or the other in course of time.

Taking advantage of this position,Tamilnadu must demand the Union Government not only to build a New Dam to replace the old one,but they must insist on the Prime Minister to direct the Union ministry of Earth Sciences to conduct cloud seeding operations as practised in China and 40 other countries to constantly maintain the reservoir level at 136 feet so that the Tamilnadu Government can instal adequate pump sets to lift all the required water within the 6 months period of incessant rains of South West monsoon and store that water in newly constructed reservoirs in Theni and Madurai Districts for timely supply for irrigating vast stretches of lands in South Tamilnadu to eliminate poverty and restore its agricultural prosperity as envisaged by the old British Rulers.The Chief Ministers of both kerala and Tamilnadu must jointly work towards this goal of mutual cooperation for national prosperity.

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മലയാളം വീഡിയോ

Along with the growth of human habitations on the margins of the Periyar lake above 136ft. level and also in the lower reaches of the Periyar river along with development of hydro-power projects and industries the demand for more water from Periyar catchment increased. Consequently Keralites began to question the validity of the old lease agreement between the states. Moreover the frequent occurrence of the earthquakes and their damaging impacts on human habitations and the aged Periyar dam caused concern among the people of Kerala who have been raising doubts on the safety of the dam and hence they were opposing the growing demands of Tamil Nadu for additional water from Periyar by raising its water storage from 136ft to 152ft are atleast to 145ft. The writ petitions were filed in the Supreme Court by Dr.Subrahmanyam Swami and the Government of Tamil Nadu for raising the height of the dam to 152ft. The Kerala Government opposed the contention of Tamil Nadu and hence the Supreme Court directed the Union Government to respond on the subject and consequently an expert committee was appointed with one technical expert from Kerala and one from Tamil Nadu and a few more others from outside. This expert committee studied the dam safety problems and recommended for increase the dam height initially to 142ft. and the Union Government accepted this recommendation.

The Supreme Court permitted Tamil Nadu to raise the dam height to 142ft level. The Kerala state hurriedly convened a meeting of the state assembly in the middle of the March 2006 and amended the State Irrigation and Water Conservation Act, 2003 and fixed the reservoir level of Periyar dam at 136ft. height. The political parties are accusing the Tamil Nadu Government for delaying the work on the project as per Supreme Court orders and the Central Government is pleading that it is not in a position to make the Kerala Government to get the Supreme Court order implemented. Infact the Supreme Court suggested to both the states to come to a mutually agreed settlement but the political parties in both the states have not so far agreed to resolve the problem in public interest. Hence the intellectuals of Kerala and Tamil Nadu must take the lead in studying the problem and work out an amicable settlement not only to provide a safe and strong dam by decommissioning the existing one but also provide much more water for drinking and hydro-power generation projects in Periyar basin of Kerala but also more water for irrigation and drinking water needs of the drought-prone districts of Madurai and Ramanathapuram of Tamil Nadu. For this purpose the construction of a suitable concrete dam to replace the existing Periyar dam must be constructed with suitable height and cloud seeding operations must be conducted extensively to replenish the depletion of reservoir levels as practiced in China where 35000 technicians employed to get additional annual rain water of 1400 TMC in a most inexpensive manner with a cost benefit ratio of 1:15 to 1:30.

Inspite of the judgement given by Supreme Court on raising the height of the Mulla Periyar dam the state of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are still not able to come to a mutually agreed solution to resolve the crisis. Hence an attempt is made here to enlighten the educated citizens of both the states to make a correct assessment of the problem based on scientific and technical propositions on the relevant factors that govern safety of the dam and the environment.

മുല്ലപെരിയാര്‍ ഡാം പൊട്ടുമോ ?….. കാത്തിരുന്നു കാണാം…