Wednesday, Dec 14, 2011
Gulf News
Tensions over mullaperiyar issue have reached boiling point
The war over a dam between the southern states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu has reached its peak. Kerala wants the 116-year-old Mullaperiyar dam located 3,000 feet above sea level deep in the Periyar Tiger Reserve (PTR) in its Idukki district to be replaced with a new one. The state promises it will construct the proposed Rs6 billion (Dh0.4 billion) dam with its own funds and continue to permit Tamil Nadu to draw the same quantity of water as it does now. It also appeals to Tamil Nadu to reduce the water in the leaky dam to 120ft from 136ft fixed by the Supreme Court.
Tamil Nadu, which enjoys the custodial rights of the masonry gravity dam for 999 years under a land lease agreement reached between the British Government for its Madras Province and Travancore Princely state in 1886, argues that the dam is intact and there is no need to lower the water level or for a new dam.
In the free India, the Madras Province took the new avatar of the State of Tamil Nadu and Travancore became part of Kerala.
“We do not want a confrontation with Tamil Nadu. It is the question of the safety of 3.5 million people. The existing dam will not stand for 999 years. However, we have to construct a new dam, then why can’t we do it now?” Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy asks.
Kerala’s fear over the safety of the dam has heightened with recent mild to moderate tremors (measuring 2.1 to 3.2 on the Richter scale) that rocked the dam site and its surrounding villages. Worse still, the area experienced 28 tremors of various magnitude since July this year. The state apprehends that these recurrent quakes have inflicted irreparable damage to the dam that has outlived its guaranteed lifespan of 50 years and is built with long outdated lime-sugar mortar technology.
Adding to its fear, experts at the Centre for Earth Science Studies and the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IITR) who have studied the seismic condition of the area, warn that the dam is situated in an earthquake prone location and the structure cannot withstand a tremor of 6.0 magnitude — which cannot be ruled out given the nature of the earth at the dam site.
Kerala paints an unimaginably gory picture in such an event especially during monsoons. It says the catastrophe will have a cascading effect. The debris of the dam with 443 million cubic metres of water will reach the Idukki dam situated just 150 metres downstream of Mullaperiyar. The Idukki dam is unlikely to hold such a huge quantity of water gushing in a short time. If the Idukki dam fails under the impact, the 15 other dams in the vicinity which are interconnected, too, may collapse. The state fears then at least five districts will be wiped out from its map. And the Tamil Nadu region will go without water.
The fear has grown to mass hysteria with the release of Dam 999, a film based on a dam burst shot in Kerala, recently. People in villages on the rim of the dam reservoir like to remain indoors along with family members, children follow elders like shadows even at home and cannot concentrate on any activity. “We jump up from the bed even when the wind blows and for rest of the night we keep awake. How long can we live with such tension and fear?”, asks Joseph Mathew, a farmer from Upputhara which is very close to the dam.
Life at village towns in the area has been paralysed for days due to people’s protest backed by parties of all hues against the “inaction” of the federal government and “inhuman” stance of Tamil Nadu.
Putting pressure on Delhi to intervene, Kerala MPs brought Parliament to a halt and have been staging a satyagraha (passive resistance) in front of the House. Federal ministers from the state and Chandy met Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, but failed to wangle a promise from him.
Across the border, there are no “road shows” which have luckily averted a bloodbath. But Tamil Nadu leaders, who otherwise do not see eye to eye, are unanimous on the issue. Chief Minister Jayalalitha and her bête noire and predecessor Karunanidhi shot separate letters to Singh alleging that Kerala’s contention is a total falsehood. To bolster their claims, the leaders point out the assertion of several expert panels appointed by the apex court at various times in the still pending three-decade old litigation that the structure is healthy.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court yesterday asked the federal government to respond to the Tamil Nadu government’s plea seeking deployment of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) for the security of the Mullaperiyar Dam.
A constitution bench of the apex court headed by Justice D.K. Jain asked the government to get back to the court with its response by Thursday when the matter would come up for hearing again.
Since water is a hyper-sensitive sociopolitical issue in Tamil Nadu, its leaders cannot withstand the political repercussion of conceding Kerala’s demand. Five southern districts — Theni, Madurai, Dindigul, Sivaganga and Ramanathapuram — rely on the dam for irrigation and drinking purposes.
The federal government and the Supreme Court are in a catch-22 situation. The federal government is caught between Tamil Nadu and Kerala. If it leans towards Kerala, the Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam (DMK) will pull out from the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) resulting in the fall of the government. The other way round, the Chandy government which is already sitting on the fence may lose power.
The apex court is awaiting the report of the Justice Anand panel appointed by it to look into the safety aspects of the dam. But it is unlikely that the verdict will be accepted with grace by the losing state.
One may wonder why Tamil Nadu doesn’t accept Kerala’s offer. The answer is simple. It comes with strings attached. The hint given by Kerala leaders is that it will rationalise the lease period, the tax on the leased land, the price of water and the surcharge on electricity that Tamil Nadu produces from the Mullaperiyar water will be set at a more realistic level. Now, Tamil Nadu pays Rs1,000,000 annually for all these services. To cap it all, the water level will be fixed at 136ft and control of the dam will be with Kerala.
Tamil Nadu is aware of this — but its strategy doesn’t make any sense in the changed scenario. No state can afford to give its depleting resources either free or at a nominal price. And Kerala is now a water- and power-starved state. The only way to overcome the current deadlock is to understand this ground reality and for both states to negotiate with each other — thus reaching a mutually acceptable agreement. But expecting this is wishful thinking.
Politicians are playing with the lives of people in ten districts. People in Kerala face a watery grave and their brethren on the other side a waterless death.
We jump up from the bed even when the wind blows and for rest of the night we keep awake. How long can we live with such tension and fear?”
Joseph Mathew Upputhara farmer
By K. Jayaprakash ?Correspondent
Gulf News 2011. All rights reserved.
