C.D. Thatte and D.K. Mehta are likely to submit report on December 26
Two technical members of the Empowered Committee — C.D. Thatte, former Secretary to the Ministry of Water Resources, and D.K. Mehta, retired Chief Engineer, Central Water Commission — will inspect the Mullaperiyar and Idukki dams from December 22 to 24.
The full committee, headed by the former Chief Justice of India, A.S. Anand, already conducted a spot inspection of the disputed Mullaperiyar dam in December last. It also heard the views of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and the Centre on the issues framed by it.
Subsequently, the committee entrusted conducting various studies in the dam, including marine and naval diving tests, to reputed institutes and they submitted reports.
Later, Kerala filed an application before the committee for a direction to Tamil Nadu to lower the storage level in the dam from 136 to 120 feet pending construction of a new reservoir in the area. Kerala filed it after withdrawing a similar application in the Supreme Court. Though the State also wanted all five members of the committee to visit the dam, only two technical members are now scheduled to make an inspection as per the agenda sent to the two States.
The two technical members, accompanied by engineers from both States will visit the Baby dam, the main Mullaperiyar dam and the Idukki dam, where tremors were reported recently, and assess the safety of the structure.
Sources told The Hindu that the technical members would submit their report to Justice Anand on December 26. The full panel will meet on January 2, 2012 to hear oral arguments from Kerala and Tamil Nadu on their applications.
Kerala said 25 earthquakes or tremors in the vicinity of the Mullaperiyar dam recently threatened the safety of the reservoir causing serious concern to 50 lakh people living in the downstream region. The Centre for Earth Science Studies had said if there was a tremor with a high magnitude of 6 or more, the dam would collapse.
The fear was heightened by incessant rain in the catchment area and the storage level rising above 136 feet, Kerala said, and wanted Tamil Nadu to bring down the water level to 120 feet. Tamil Nadu, however, refuted Kerala's claim that the dam would not be safe if the water level was maintained at 136 feet.
Dam safe: Tamil Nadu
In its response, Tamil Nadu reiterated that the dam was safe and that it had been permitted by the Supreme Court to raise the water level up to 142 feet and further to 152 feet after completing strengthening measures. It denied Kerala's assertion that 22 earthquakes/tremors occurred in the region between July 26 and November 26 and said that according to the India Meteorological Department information, there had been only four occurrences of earthquake in the Kottayam-Idukki region during this period.
Besides Justice Anand, two judicial members on the committee are Justices K.T. Thomas and A.R. Lakshmanan, retired Supreme Court judges representing Kerala and Tamil Nadu respectively.
Keywords: Mullaperiyar dam row
Comments:
Whats the point of inspection when Kerala politicians, who seem to be experts in dams, have already decided and concluded that the dam is unsafe (forget the fact they they havent even put in place a disaster management plan in case their frankeinstein dam did collapse).
We hope that an impartial Report will be submitted by the Technical Experts of the Empowered Committee. If TN is claiming that only four occurrences of earthquake in the Kottayam-Idukki region during the period between July 26 and November 26 against the statement of Kerala having occurred 22 earthquakes during this period, sufficient records must be there to prove this. Here,truth should win. Safety of the people is first concern. We the people wish that both states should continue the cordial and harmonious relation further which have been going on for decades. Both states are inter-dependent on many things. No one can deny this real fact. We are Indians and must not give colour of regionalism in this issue. Only through peaceful manner, this grave issue can be resolved and any one resorting to violent methods shall endanger the life of people.
Ram, get your facts right. Kerala Govt do have a disaster management plan. A team of experts have identified assembly and evacuation points. Mock drills are expected to be conducted after dam break analysis. You don't have to be experts in dams to see that an old dam might collapse if comes under strong seismic activity. I don't understand why violent protests happen in TN because Kerala has promised the same amount of water from the new dam too.
It was the people living downstream who began their agitation for a new dam five years ago. The agitation has now been intensified. Technical experts appointed by the Govt of Kerala did not give it a clean chit. Political opinion is based on these, and not as Mr. Ram says, on fiction, though it is right that disaster management plan should have been in place long ago. But to be noted that the Centre's help in this regard also was flayed by Ms. Jayalalitha. I doubt this expert Committee which is associated with the CWC, for the CWC has a terrible track record.
Whats the point of inspection when Tamil Nadu politicians, who seem to be experts in dams, have already decided and concluded that the dam is safe (forget the fact they they even oppose a disaster management plan in case the frankeinstein dam did collapse).
First thing first, the records as per online IMD (indian meteorlogical dept) is showing only one tremor; this is in variance from both TN and kerala statements; however every dam and its monitoring authority is supposed to have a seismic record and this should be published in open (KSEB and TN authorities) to set the record clear instead of vague statments. Secondly, what is the point of TN people agitating and striking inside tamilnadu and stopping their own business (thanakku thane panam kodutthu soonyam vaipargal pol); and how TN government is allowing its people to strike on a matter to be decided by consensus of experts and not every tom dick and harry who has might; and who pays for their strikes and agitations; government should have clamped 144 and also advise that targetting keralite establishments shall be punished severely). If people dont understand living together, then they dont deserve dams or power;. (by the way, i am a tamilian)