There is a report titled “Ageing Water Storage Infrastructure: An Emerging Global Risk” published in the 11th Series Report of United Nations University-Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH). The said report has mentioned about certain safety concerns of the  Mullaperiyar dam.

  Through inspections, investigations, tests and studies, the health of a dam can be evaluated. Various instruments, which are installed in the dam provide relevant information on the safety conditions of a dam. Pre and Post monsoon inspections are generally carried out by the dam owning agencies every year.  

  As per information available with Central Water Commission (CWC), in 1979 some distress condition was reported in the Mullaperiyar dam. Thereafter the CWC suggested certain categories of strengthening measures viz. emergency measures, short term measures and long term measures. The emergency and short term measures were completed by the Government of Tamil Nadu.

   Safety issues of the Mullaperiyar dam have been examined and reviewed by various expert groups/committees in the past.  The safety issues of this dam were examined under the directions of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India in the case Original Suit No. 3 of 2006 [State of Tamil Nadu versus State of Kerala & Anr.], through an Empowered Committee. The Empowered Committee concluded that the Mullaperiyar dam was safe in all respects, viz., hydrologically, structurally and seismically and this fact was taken cognizance of in the Hon'ble Supreme Court's judgement dated  07.05.2014.

Also under the World Bank funded Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP), which was concluded in March 2021, dam safety inspections were carried out for 28 dam projects of Kerala by the Dam Safety Review Panel, constituted by the Government of Kerala.

 Commissioning or de-commissioning of dams owned by State Governments is exclusively within the purview of the dam owning State.

This Information was given by the Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Shri Bishweswar Tudu in a written  reply in Lok Sabha today.

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BY/AS

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