What Is The Justification To Increase The Height Of 110 Years Old Leaking Mullaperiyar Dam?
Honorable President
Shri A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
Rashtrapati Bhawan
New Delhi-110016
November25, 2006
Respected Sir,
Please allow this inventor and engineer to offer following critical observations to resolve Mullaperiyar Dam dispute. (Last year also I petitioned to you but I prefer to file it afresh to include new disclosures with remedy)
Constitution of India empowers honorable President of India to exercise its supreme authority in public interest to neutralize a very “Insensible Supreme Court Judgment” allowing increase in Mullaperiyar dam height from 136 feet to 152 feet.
Mullaperiyar Dam case is one such rarest of rare case when President’s intervention is called for immediately. Actually it is most foolish of the Supreme Court to pass judgments devoid of any wisdom also.
As a rocket scientist you
can understand very well that no one will approve of launching a commercial satellite on say a 10 years old military rocket.
v It is most eccentric in engineering terms, to raise the height of a 110 years old dam, which is leaking since 1930 and is located in seismic zone.
v The Supreme Court didn’t appreciate the fact that it can’t jeopardize lives of several million people downstream of the dam in Kerala to store little more water for the use of people living in another river basin.
v We are living in 21st century. Almost 100% of the water in the Mullaperiyar catchments can be pumped & transferred to TN with even half of the storage capacity of Mullaperiyar dam and for safety considerations dam height could be reduced by say 20 feet.
v Best of all a new dam could be built designed to last over 100 years a short distance down stream and existing dam ought to have been de-silted to increase storage capacity and to use water until new dam is commissioned.
v But most shocking are reports that
TN did not maintain two of the four pipes drawing water from the dam that actually led to underutilization of water in TN.
v Obviously incompetent engineers of TN misled the TN politicians (Politicians particularly in India specialize in creating mischief) in to demanding increase in dam height and Supreme Court in the absence of independent expert advice agreed to raise dam hieght.
v It is obvious to me that Mullaperiyar water is largely used for paddy cultivation in TN that coincides with monsoon and remedy I propose here is based on this fact.
REMEDY;
A.) As an inventor and engineer I would advise two or four more pipelines to draw water for TN from the Mullaperiyar dam.
B.) Consider the interests of the Idduki basin population who may need water
for drinking and other essential purposes as per water policy of India.
C.) Reduce the height of the dam by 20 feet. Doubling of water in take by TN will ensure full water utilization and double water supply during dry spells in monsoon.
D.) As an independent expert based in North India, I can offer just and optimum solutions to all such disputes.
Thank you,
Faithfully,
Ravinder Singh November25, 2006
SC dismisses plea on water level of Mullaperiyar Dam
New Delhi, Nov 15: The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed a petition seeking review of its verdict allowing raising of water level of Mullaperiyar Dam in Kerala from 136 feet to 142 feet.
A Bench comprising Chief Justice Y K Sabharwal, Justice C K Thakker and Justice P K Balasubramanyan rejected the grounds raised in the review petition filed by the NGO, Mullaperiyar environmental protection forum.
The court by its February 27 judgment had also allowed the Tamil Nadu government to carry out necessary repairs of the dam before the water level was raised to the maximum of 152 feet.
The court had clarified that before permitting the water level to be raised to 152 feet, the Tamil Nadu will appoint an expert committee to determine whether necessary repairs were undertaken.
The NGO had contended that the review of the verdict was necessary in view of the recent earthquakes in the area of Mullaperiyar Dam threatening the safety and life of the people of three districts --- Ernakulam, Idukki and Kottayam.
It was also submitted that the verdict was passed without considering the seismic effect on the dam which has been leaking since 1930 and situates at the junction of two faults zones.
Bureau Report
A Bench comprising Chief Justice Y K Sabharwal, Justice C K Thakker and Justice P K Balasubramanyan rejected the grounds raised in the review petition filed by the NGO, Mullaperiyar environmental protection forum.
The court by its February 27 judgment had also allowed the Tamil Nadu government to carry out necessary repairs of the dam before the water level was raised to the maximum of 152 feet.
The court had clarified that before permitting the water level to be raised to 152 feet, the Tamil Nadu will appoint an expert committee to determine whether necessary repairs were undertaken.
The NGO had contended that the review of the verdict was necessary in view of the recent earthquakes in the area of Mullaperiyar Dam threatening the safety and life of the people of three districts --- Ernakulam, Idukki and Kottayam.
It was also submitted that the verdict was passed without considering the seismic effect on the dam which has been leaking since 1930 and situates at the junction of two faults zones.
Bureau Report
Reduce Mullaperiyar level: dam safety panel
Special Correspondent
110-year-old reservoir, in a seismic zone, cannot withstand tremors anymore
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Members of the Kerala Dam Safety Committee have expressed concern at the safety of the Mullaperiyar dam. A team, which inspected the dam on Sunday to assess the impact of tremors which occurred in its
vicinity on August 18, advised reduction of the water level from 136 feet.
Water Resources Minister N.K. Premachandran told mediapersons here on Monday that the team, in its preliminary report, said the dam, situated in a seismic zone, was not strong enough to withstand tremors anymore. "Unlike concrete dams, the Mullaperiyar dam does not have the capacity to resist the impact of tremors," he said. Seepage of water would be monitored for 10 days and it would be compared with the leakage witnessed before the tremors rocked the region. The team, comprising committee member and chief engineer N. Sasi and chief engineer, Inter-State Water Resources, K. Divakaran, suggested a detailed study by experts on taking further steps.
Mr. Premachandran held discussions with Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan and Law Minister M. Vijayakumar and they decided to apprise the Centre of the State's concern over the safety of the dam, constructed 110 years ago.
The Government also explored the possibility of filing a curative petition against the Supreme Court order on raising the water level. It sought the advice of the Advocate-General and Supreme Court counsel.
The Dam Safety Authority Committee would discuss the issue here on Tuesday. All options including decommissioning of the dam would be placed before the authority.
All-party meet, if needed
The Government would discuss the issue with Leader of the Opposition Oommen Chandy and convene an all-party meeting, if needed.
"Kerala is not opposed to sharing water with Tamil Nadu and it plans to hold talks with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi. But the Tamil Nadu Government recently filed a petition claiming right for the catchment area of the dam."
Mr. Premachandran accused the Tamil Nadu Government of trying to make the Mullaperiyar issue an inter-State water dispute.
Date:24/11/2006 URL:
Documentary on Mullaperiyar released
Staff Reporter
It will be screened for the public in five districts
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It is estimated that around 30 lakh people in the districts of Idukki, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Ernakulam and Pathanamthitta will be wiped out if the Mullaperiyar dam bursts.
The potential catastrophe of unimaginable magnitude has been visualised in a documentary produced by the Disaster Management Division of the School of Social
Science, Mahatma Gandhi University.
The 24-minute documentary titled `Mullaperiyar, Muzhangunna Maranamani' was released here at the Press Club here on Thursday.
The documentary, which uses computer animation to depict the probable tragedy, shows panic-stricken inhabitants with toddlers in their arms running helter-skelter in the wake of the disaster.
"We wanted to exploit the power of the visual medium in conveying the ferocity of the disaster," said A.V. George, head of the disaster management division. "Our aim is to spread awareness among the public about the magnitude a probable disaster." The documentary directed by Roy Peechatt is based on a book `Mullaperiyar and the threat faced by Kerala' written by Mr. George. Some of the rare photographs taken during the construction of the Mullaperiyar dam as well as its history have been highlighted in the documentary. The presentation also drives home the need of installing early warning systems in regions that are in proximity to the dam.
The documentary would be screened for public in all the five districts that are likely to be hit in the wake of the tragedy, Mr. Peechatt said.
"We are also exploring the possibility of screening the documentary in other States and also in New Delhi."
Minister for Revenue K.P. Rajendran shares his view on the issue in the documentary. The film is edited by Saji
Koothattukulam and narrated by Sebastian Paul, Member of Parliament.
Arjun is the cameraman. The film is also dubbed in English.
Minister visits Mullaperiyar dam site
Idukki (Kerala), Nov 15: As water level in the 111-year-old Mullaperiyar dam on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border crossed the maximum storage mark of 136 ft, Kerala Irrigation Minister N K Premachandran today visited the site to review the situation and safety measures in place.
While excess water was flowing into the Periyar river through the dam's spillway, there was no marked change in the storage level after Tamil Nadu suspended diversion of water towards that state following severe damage suffered by the Kollam-Theni road, official sources said.
A portion of the road had virtually swept off and a bridge partly damaged in the on rush of the diverted water yesterday, halting traffic between the two states in the area.
The inflow into the reservoir, whose maximum storage level was set at 136 ft by Kerala, had thickened since last week due to torrential rains received by the catchment areas.
The increase in inflow had caused grave concern to the people living on the banks of the Periyar through which the excess water will flow into the Idukki reservoir in Kerala.
Adding a new dimension to the problem, seepage was detected at the Baby Dam, serving as a bulwark between the main reservoir and Periyar and is as old as the Mullaperiyar dam.
Opposing Tamil Nadu's demand, Kerala has persistently held that raising the storage level beyond 136 feet would damage the dam built of a mix of lime stone and jaggery over a century back.
The Mullaperiyar waters are a vital irrigation source for Tamil Nadu's farm belt in the Madurai region.
While excess water was flowing into the Periyar river through the dam's spillway, there was no marked change in the storage level after Tamil Nadu suspended diversion of water towards that state following severe damage suffered by the Kollam-Theni road, official sources said.
A portion of the road had virtually swept off and a bridge partly damaged in the on rush of the diverted water yesterday, halting traffic between the two states in the area.
The inflow into the reservoir, whose maximum storage level was set at 136 ft by Kerala, had thickened since last week due to torrential rains received by the catchment areas.
The increase in inflow had caused grave concern to the people living on the banks of the Periyar through which the excess water will flow into the Idukki reservoir in Kerala.
Adding a new dimension to the problem, seepage was detected at the Baby Dam, serving as a bulwark between the main reservoir and Periyar and is as old as the Mullaperiyar dam.
Opposing Tamil Nadu's demand, Kerala has persistently held that raising the storage level beyond 136 feet would damage the dam built of a mix of lime stone and jaggery over a century back.
The Mullaperiyar waters are a vital irrigation source for Tamil Nadu's farm belt in the Madurai region.
--- PTI
Mullaperiyar dam reaching full level, likely to overflow
Special Correspondent
Saturday, Jul 30, 2005
Obstruction in pipes through which Tamil Nadu draws water
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: An obstruction in the pipes through which Tamil Nadu draws water from the Mullaperiyar reservoir situated in Kerala is likely to present an unexpected bonanza to the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) this monsoon.
Following good rain in its catchments over the last few days, the reservoir is fast reaching its maximum permissible level of 136 feet. The water level had reached 131.10 feet by Friday morning.
Since the inflow is substantial at the moment (5,767 cusecs on Friday), the reservoir might start overflowing into the Kerala side in a couple of days if the problem with the pipes leading to Tamil Nadu persists. Tamil Nadu engineers are working overtime to prevent that from happening to the disadvantage of their State.
Mullaperiyar pact
Tamil Nadu is entitled to draw the entire water flowing into this reservoir for its irrigation needs, according to the Mullaperiyar pact between the two States.
Tamil Nadu is also generating power using this water at a power station on its side of the inter-State border.
Kerala gets only the water overflowing from the reservoir. This happens very rarely since the Tamil Nadu engineers diligently plan the storage and diversion of water from the reservoir.
Originally, the maximum permissible level in the reservoir was 152 feet. This was brought down to 136 feet in 1979 due to fears about the safety of the lime and mortar dam, which was built more than a hundred years ago.
Despite the reduction in the level, Tamil Nadu has always managed to take optimum advantage of the inflow to the reservoir. Only on a couple of occasions during the last 26 years had the reservoir overflowed. The last time this occurred was in December 1998, when Kerala received water worth a few million units of electricity from there.
The overflow from Mullaperiyar goes straight to the reservoir of Idukki hydel project, the biggest in the State..
Date:02/08/2005 URL:
Idukki dam takes in Mullaperiyar overflow
G.K. Nair
Kochi , Aug. 1
VIGOROUS rainfall in Kerala during the week, especially in the high ranges, have raised the water level in the reservoirs of all the hydroelectric projects in the State.
The Mullaperiyar dam, from which water is taken out to Tamil Nadu through four pipelines, has started overflowing due to obstruction in two pipes carrying water to Tamil Nadu, which are being repaired on a war-footing.
The spillover from Mullaperiyar is going to the Idukki dam, which could hold the inflow for 10 to 15 days as the water storage level in that dam at present has reached only 50 per cent of its capacity, a senior KSEB official told Business Line.
He said that an official meeting is likely to be held on Tuesday to discuss the situation arising out of increased inflow from Mullaperiyar dam.
According to him, some corrective action would be taken if the situation warranted. If needed, generation from the Idukki hydel project could be raised, the official said. The water level in all the other small hydel projects has reached full capacity, while in the second largest project at Sabarigiri, it has reached 53 per cent of capacity.
Mullaperiyar dam in the State has a capacity of 136 feet and with an inflow of 5,767 cusecs it is reported to have started overflowing.
Water from this dam is taken to Tamil Nadu through four pipelines. But two of these pipes have developed some obstruction and the engineers from Tamil Nadu are working to remove it. Even though the overflowing water from this dam would go straight into the Idukki dam, the Kerala Government authorities have cautioned the
people living downstream in Vandiperiyar, Elappara and Kattappana areas.
The water storage has gone up to significantly higher levels and with an expected good northeast monsoon later this year, the State would be placed at a comfortable position that it would be able to go without costly hydel power during rest of the year, the official added.
Fresh concerns over safety of Mullaperiyar dam
By Our Special Correspondent
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, DEC. 13. The occurrence of an earthquake of the magnitude of about 5 on the Richter scale has raised fresh concerns about the safety of the Mullaperiyar dam.
While some experts are of the view that the dam has long outlived its normal life, others maintain that it can continue in service because of the strengthening works undertaken by the Tamil Nadu Government. However, engineers of Kerala and Tamil Nadu do not see eye to eye on the subject. And the earthquake has changed the position further.
Tremors had been occurring in and around the Idukki reservoir ever since the dam was filled. There is not much data on whether tremors had occurred before the commissioning of the dam. Seismographs had been put up at Kulamavu and other places
only with the construction of the Kulamavu dam.
Most of the tremors recorded there were of such low magnitude that the local people had not come to notice them. As a correlation had been noticed between the filling and emptying of the reservoir, scientists had suggested that these could be reservoir-induced. However, subsequent tremors put certain questions marks on this assumption. The magnitude of the tremors was expected to come down as the geological formations under the reservoir had `settled down'.
However, this was not happening. The tremor at Nedumkandam in 1988 measured 4.5 on the logarithmic Richter scale. The after-shocks measured 4.1 and 3.8 on the scale. It has been more or less confirmed now that yesterdays's shock was of the magnitude of 5 on the scale. The after-shocks also came close to this reading. In 1994, a shock of the magnitude of 4.3 on the Richter scale occurred at Wadakkanchery followed by another of the magnitude 3.0 in 1996.
In between, a number of tremors of lower magnitudes have occurred in different parts of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. This pointed to tectonic activity in the area.
Idukki and its surrounding areas now have about a dozen large reservoirs, the oldest being Mullaperiyar. Most of them are over geological fault lines. Moreover, many of the slopes in the catchment areas are unstable. This increases the risk of large chunks of earth falling into reservoirs leading to dam failure. (The failure of the arch dam at Viont in Italy had occurred this way). The Mullaperiyar, which was built before tectonic studies became a norm for dam design, is prone to damage from quakes. This is especially true of the Baby dam. In the recent non- destructive testing of Baby dam by the Central Soil and Material Research Station, fissures had been found inside the dam structure. Further studies would be required to see how far the main dam structure would withstand quakes.
The risk here is not the collapse of the Mullaperiyar dam alone. If the dam gives way when the reservoir level is high in both Idukki dam and Mullaperiyar, Idukki would not be able to hold the inflow. Idukki dams are designed to withstand earthquakes. However, the spillways at Cheruthoni do not have the capacity to release such a flow and keep the dam safe. Many dam failures across the world had occurred because of deficiency of spillways. In the case, earthquakes and landslides can compound the problem.
Meanwhile, the Kerala State Electricity Board authorities are
examining the dams under it for any damage from the quakes. However, their observations would be severely limited from the fact that several of the instruments for monitoring the dams are not functional. Some have malfunctioned in the past and gave wrong readings. The stress strain meters in the Idukki arch dam, for example, gave values in the nineties that suggested that the dam would burst.
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