Kerala Grants Permission for Maintenance Work at Mullaiperiyar Dam

Chennai: The Kerala government’s forest department has permitted Tamil Nadu to undertake maintenance work at the Mullaiperiyar dam site and allowed the passage of lorries carrying construction material through the Vallakadavu check post and the Thekkady boat jetty, Theni district collector R V Shajeevana said.

Earlier, on December 4, two lorries from Theni that carried construction materials were not allowed by the forest department to reach the Mullaiperiyar dam site through Kumili taluk of Idukki district for facilitating the routine maintenance work by the PWD department.

After the Theni district collector appraised the State Water Resources Department of the issue, the matter was taken up with the higher-ups and permission was granted.

The Mullaiperiyar dam, located on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border, is the major water source for both irrigation and drinking purposes in the districts of Theni, Dindigul, Madurai, Ramanathapuram and Sivaganga.