Kerala will shortly renew its campaign for a new dam at Mullaperiyar as the revised Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the new structure is getting ready.
The new DPR, which complies with the guidelines of the Central Water Commission (CWC), will be ready by March. Engineering experts recently completed the design of a new dam that has been proposed 366 m downstream of the 126-year-old existing one.
New guidelines
The CWC introduced a series of guidelines for the construction of dams after Kerala prepared the DPR in 2011. The cost of various components of the project has also gone up since the last DPR. Hence, the revision, said those privy to the developments.
The State government last week approached the CWC seeking to expedite the permission for the construction of new dam. The State had also conveyed to the CWC its willingness to provide water to Tamil Nadu from the new dam.
Incidentally, Kerala and Tamil Nadu had been fighting a protracted legal battle over the structural stability and related aspects of the existing dam, which was built 126 years ago. Kerala had been campaigning for a new dam to replace the existing one on safety grounds. Intense agitations took place in both States after Kerala raised safety concerns and demanded the decommissioning of the existing dam.
Dam features
The full reservoir level of the proposed dam will be 152 ft, the same as that of the existing one. The maximum water level has been fixed as 155 ft. The new structure would hold 450 million cubic metre water. The maximum depth of the dam will be 53 m and its length 630 m. It may take up to four years and around ₹1,000 crore to complete the project. The dam level and other aspects may be modified considering the interests of Tamil Nadu. The consent of Tamil Nadu is also required for Kerala to begin the construction. Though located in the Idukki district of Kerala, the dam is owned and operated by Tamil Nadu, experts said.
The new dam, an earthquake-resistant one, will have a life of 100 years. The State had commissioned a seismic study of the dam area by the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, before designing the dam, they said.
