The Hindu : Front Page : Dam breach an eye-opener, says VS

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Tuesday, Nov 10, 2009
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Dam breach an eye-opener, says VS

Staff Reporter

‘Kerala will go ahead with its plan to build a new dam across Mullaperiyar’

V.S. Achuthanandan says people’s concern should be taken into account.

PATHANAMTHITTA: Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan has said that the breach in the Moolathara dam in Palakkad district on Sunday following the release of water from the Aliyar dam ‘without any notice’ should be an eye-opener to the Tamil Nadu government, especially in the case of the Mullaperiyar dam.

Talking to reporters at the government guest house here on Monday afternoon, Mr. Achuthanandan said people’s apprehensions and concern about the stability and safety of the Mullaperiyar dam should be taken into account against the backdrop of the Moolathara dam breach. The release of water from the Aliyar dam by Tamil Nadu ‘without any prior notice’ had raised the water level in the Moolathara dam resulting in its breach and havoc in the downstream.

Mr. Achuthanandan said that the Mullaperiyar dam was older than the Moolathara dam. Nearly 40 lakh people residing in the five districts of Kerala in the downstream of the Mullaperiyar dam were living in fear. The Kerala government was bound to ensure adequate protection and safety to their life and property. And the Centre had extended support to Kerala’s initiatives in that direction, he added.

The Chief Minister expressed the hope that the Moolathara dam breach would open the eyes of the Tamil Nadu government which had all along maintained a view that there was no harm in raising the water level in the Mullaperiyar dam from 136 ft to 152 ft.

Mr. Achuthanandan said the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu had been asserting that the dam would be safe for many centuries to come. Tamil Nadu had been consciously backing away from a proposal made in 1979 for constructing a new dam across the Mullaperiyar. Reports submitted by various scientific committees, appointed by the Centre, had recommended a new dam.

The Kerala government would go ahead with its plan to construct a new dam. Also, Kerala was ready to supply water to Tamil Nadu, Mr. Achuthanandan added.

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