MoEF nod for new Mullaperiyar dam eco-impact study

New Delhi: In a shot in the arm for the Kerala government, the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has given its consent for conducting an environmental impact assessment study for the construction of a new Mullaperiyar dam.

While giving its nod to Kerala’s request made in May, the MoEF has said that the report must be submitted within six months. The state had already obtained permission from the National Wildlife Board to conduct the study for the dam proposed to be built inside the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary.

The MoEF has given the clearance even as Tamil Nadu has voiced its strong protest in the Supreme Court for conducting such a st-udy in violation of the apex court judgment last year permitting it to raise the water level in the dam from 136 ft to 142 ft.

In May, the chief engineer of Kerala submitted a proposal seeking environment clearance for the construction of a new Mullaperiyar dam to replace the existing old dam on safety consideration. Kerala, in its application, said, “The State of Kerala is submitting this application for prior environment clearance Form 1, and Terms of Reference for Environment Impact Assessment study for construction of the new dam.”

It said the old structure had already outlived its safe life and now it had become unsafe to retain it. Further to overcome a panic situation, the government had decided to construct a new dam just 366 metres below the old dam, after carrying out necessary surveys and investigations across the Mullaperiyar river. Kerala said the old dam was now having a water spread area of 3475.78 hectares and by constructing the new dam, the additional area downstream of old dam going to be submerged would only be 25.66 hectares.

It said in spite of strengthening measures, the existing dam had not gained adequate strength to function further, because of the limitations of the process and materials adopted at that period of time. Moreover a dam could not be perpetually made fit to withstand the forces for which it was originally designed through a process of periodical strengthening. It said: “Aging is a non-retrievable process especially for a dam which was in continuous contact with water and leads to the easily soluble lime to be leached out.”

Pointing out the dangers, the chief engineer said, “The century-old Mullaperiyar dam has already outlived its useful life and consequences of any failure could be catastrophic and its outcome beyond all human imagination. Moreover Mullaperiyar region is in an area where significant tectonics is also noticed in the region. The recent earthquakes in Kerala and other parts of the country indicate an increase in the level of crustal disturbances in the form of earth tremors.” Hence the state wanted the centre to approve the TOR at the earliest.