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Kerala today said chances of constructing a new dam at Mullaperiyar could not be ruled out, but made it clear it would oppose any unilateral attempt by Tamil Nadu to raise the water level.
“Chances of a new dam on Mullaperiyar cannot be ruled out. But it needs a proper study on practical issues like the huge expenses and the technical requirement,” Minister for Water Resources Mathew T Thomas told reporters here.
Water level
Thomas, who is in Delhi to attend the 30th annual general meeting of National Water Development Agency (NWDA), said Kerala would oppose it if Tamil Nadu unilaterally attempts to raise the water level at Mullaperiyar.
“The Supreme Court agreed to raise the water level at Mullaperiyar to 152 feet if the dam is strengthened. But if Tamil Nadu takes a unilateral decision, we will oppose it,” Thomas said.
The minister reiterated Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s view that the State could not convince the Supreme Court of its apprehensions on the safety of the dam.
‘No confrontation’
“We are not interested in any confrontation with the Tamil Nadu but will try to reach a consensus with that State,” he said.
“Mullaperiyar is a very complex issue and it is a problem faced by the state. We will deal with it properly,” he added.
Earlier, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had said that the TN plan to raise the water level at Mullaperiyar dam to 152 feet will be opposed.
In its May 7, 2014 verdict, the Supreme Court had held that the 120-year-old Mullaperiyar dam is safe and allowed the Tamil Nadu government to raise the water level to 142 feet and ultimately to 152 feet after completion of strengthening measures on the dam.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa had met Prime Minister Modi last week and sought help in raising the water level to 152 feet.
Funds sought
Thomas said there had been a 73.49 per cent reduction in allocation for the State under the National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP) and requested the Centre to increase the annual grant to ₹200 crore.
“Have requested the Centre to enhance the allocation for the year 2016-17 to ₹200 crore,” he said after a meeting with Union Minister for Rural Development, Drinking Water and Sanitation Chaudhary Birender Singh here. The Central allocation for this financial year is just ₹49.77 crore, he said.
Noting that the reduction in allocation has affected various project implementation, he said ₹1,188 crore is required to complete the pending projects.
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