Mullaperiyar Dam – Matter of Life and Death?

Mullaperiyar Dam, the 116 year old Dam across Periyar river in Kerala is operated by the Government of Tamil Nadu according to a 999-year lease agreement made during the British colonial rule. The Dam is a major source of water for Tamil Nadu, though situated in Kerala. A recent study made by IIT- Roorke says that the Dam will not withstand an earthquake of magnitude of 6.4 or above. This means death of more than 30 lakh people from Kerala, washing away four districts in the collapse, making it in the list of major disasters the world has ever seen. Kerala Government proposes the need for a new Dam, while Tamil Nadu rejects it alleging that the safety issues are not true. Tamil Nadu government has also banned Dam 999, a Hollywood movie alleged to have a theme based on this Dam issue. Chief Minister of Kerala, Ooman Chandi says that the stand of Kerala in this case is “Water for Tamil Nadu, Safety for Kerala”.

But the governments do need to expedite the process of finding a solution, as, if the claims are true, it is a matter of life and death of millions of people.