Right now this writer is sinking; sinking in messages, discussions and appeals from all over the world from Malayalees on the subject matter of Mullaperiyar dam and the hazards it poses to four districts in Kerala – Idukki, Ernakulam, Kottayam and Alapuzha. The dilapidated dam that was built in 1895 holds 15 TMC of water. When the dam was built it was said that the life span of the dam was just 50 years and now it is more than 115 years. The dam can’t withstand an earthquake of magnitude 6.5 in ritcher scale and it compromises the safety of about 3 million people living downstream. If a new dam is not built sooner this writer would also sink in the deluge that would inundate central Kerala.
Kerala’s neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu which makes use of the water in the Mullaperiyar dam for irrigating their four districts is against Kerala building a new dam as they fear that they would lose control of the dam and hence the water. The water sharing agreement on the Mullaperiyar was signed during the British rule for 999 years. It defies common sense why an agreement for 999 years was signed for a dam that had a life span of just 50 years. When the British left India and we got independence in 1947 all agreements between princely states became void and hence the Mullaperiyar agreement also got void. But in 1970s Kerala government magnanimously re-entered into an agreement with Tamil Nadu for water sharing as farmers in that state were reeling because of lack of water for irrigation. Tamil Nadu uses the water from Mullaperiyar for agricultural purposes and for generation of electricity and accrues a profit of about 1200 crores a year and gives Kerala a meagre 30 lakhs as rent. Even now Kerala agrees that it will not reduce the amount of water given to Tamil Nadu even after building a new dam, but Tamil Nadu is obstinate that they will not allow a new dam. As the matter is pending before the Supreme Court and because of the clauses in the water sharing agreement Kerala is not able to build a new dam without the approval of Tamil Nadu. But growing indignation from the people of Kerala has forced Kerala government to look for legal loopholes in the agreement to build a new dam.
If Mullaperiyar dam gets demolished as a result of an earthquake the water from the dam will reach the Idukki dam, which is situated just 36 kilometres away, in 45 minutes time. Idukki dam has a capacity of holding 70 TMC water and 79% of it is already filled. Hence it won’t be able to hold the water coming from Mullaperiyar and it would also collapse leading to a flood of enormous magnitude which would wash away four districts of Kerala. The people in these four districts of Kerala are living in perpetual danger as a water bomb is hanging above their heads. It is estimated that if the dam collapses the destruction it would cause would be 180 times as severe as the destruction caused by the atom bomb in Hiroshima.
All over the four districts in Kerala everywhere people are discussing about the dangers of the dam collapse and thinking about saving themselves and their loved ones if and when such a calamity occurs. Tamil Nadu shows scientific studies done by some experts which show that there is no danger to the Mullaperiyar dam and is saying that politicians and people in Kerala are foolishly panicking for something that is not going to happen. But they are oblivious or pretending to be oblivious of the grave danger that the dam holds as a result of the weathering down of the lime surkhi mortar used to build the dam. The increasing number of tremors in the dam region recently has added to the danger to the dam.
The time to act is now and if the Central Government won’t take immediate steps to find an amicable solution to this dam row we are on to something extremely terrible. If Tamil Nadu government doesn’t agree to a new dam to be built by Kerala they will have to take the responsibility of 3 million lives that would be lost when the dam collapses. There is no time to wait and the people of Kerala are up in arms in a bid to save their own lives. The catastrophe of a dam collapse can happen anytime and this could well be this writer’s last essay. We, the people of Kerala, are not against our brothers and sisters in Tamil Nadu, but no one can stop us from fighting for our lives and fight we will.
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