Fresh review of Mullaperiyar Dam’s safety now due, required to be undertaken: Sc told. (2022, January 28). Retrieved February 05, 2022, from https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/fresh-review-of-mullaperiyar-dams-safety-now-due-required-to-be-undertaken-sc-told/articleshow/89177434.cms
The Mullaperiyar Dam, built in 1895 along the Periyar river in the Idukki district of Kerala, is due for a safety inspection by the Central Water Commission (CWC). The CWC is a committee dedicated to assessing the safety of dams and was carried out in 2010 under the directions of the apex court in 2010. The committee came to the conclusion that the Mullaperiyar dam was deemed safe hydrologically, structurally, and seismically. Though the safety report concluded that the dam was safe, a review of the dam’s structure is required to be undertaken. In this meeting held on December 8th, Kerala stated that a part of the dam’s structure needed to be reviewed. Tamil Nadu claimed that they don’t have enough time to make decisions in advance, however, the report requested Kerala to expedite the installations of requisite number of such telemetry stations to facilitate Tamil Nadu. Doing so will provide timely inflow forecast which can be used to release water from the Mullaperiyar dam. Though this commitment has been made, Kerala has not yet made movements towards installing the telemetry stations.
I think it is important to regularly assess the safety of our dams. If a part of this dam were to be frail or close to breaking, it could cause flooding or even further damage, which could be dangerous. In this particular case, the dam is almost 130 years old, which makes it even more important to check. Recently, they decided that it was important to assess the health of the water and the safety of the dam itself by adding telemetry stations, which measures physical, chemical, or biological values. Despite their efforts, however, Tamil Nadu refused to add these stations making it more difficult for them to ensure the stability of the dam. Not installing these applications will not guarantee the safety of the dam and the health of the water, which could lead to complications in the future.
I agree that it is important to check the structure and water of our dams often. This could help find and prevent major issues. Why does Tamil Nadu refuse to add these necessary safety precautions?
I agree that regularly checking the saftey of our dams is imperative, especially if they are 130 years old. Did the article give any reasons as to why Tamil Nadu refused to add the stations?
I think you and this article brings up some great points that will both ensure that everything is running smoothly both benefitting the environment and humans. I have the same question as arkar, asking why they refused to add the stations. I would assume based off the context that there were safety concerns, but am interested to learn more!