MADURAI
Allowing Tamil Nadu to raise water level in Periyar dam to 142 feet, the Supreme Court, in its 2014 verdict, said that a new tunnel on the Western Ghats would help in evacuation of storage “faster and better.” “More importantly, if this alternative is implemented in an agreed period of time, the fear perception in the minds of people of the State of Kerala will be set at rest,” it said.
Stating that a gravity dam seldom gives in suddenly, the Apex Court said that the new tunnel would help faster and better evacuation of storage and reduce dam break flood magnitude significantly.
The total expenditure for construction of the new tunnel should be borne by Tamil Nadu, since the dam ownership vested with it. “The costs (for digging the tunnel) may be small as compared to the cost of replacement (of the dam by constructing a newer one),” the Constitution Bench said. The new tunnel would also enable Tamil Nadu to use additional water available in storage below 106 feet.
