Tamil Nadu has submitted a fresh status report to the Supreme Court alleging that the Kerala government continues to obstruct maintenance and strengthening works at the Mullaperiyar dam.
The dam, located in Kerala’s Idukki district, is described as vital for irrigation in Tamil Nadu’s southern districts. The Supreme Court had earlier permitted storage up to 142 feet and said the level could be raised to 152 feet after strengthening works are completed.
In its filing, Tamil Nadu said the court had allowed felling of certain trees in Kerala forest areas to enable movement of machinery for strengthening works at Mullaperiyar and Baby dams. However, it alleged that Kerala has not granted permission for the tree-felling and has delayed the process.
The report also said Kerala is not allowing works to proceed even as the dam’s supervisory committee has issued guidelines for carrying out coating-related tasks. Tamil Nadu further stated it had provided Rs 87.64 lakh to Kerala months ago for repairs to the Vallakadavu dam road, which is essential for maintenance, but the road work has not been taken up.
Tamil Nadu also alleged that Kerala has not shared key data sought for assessing environmental impact in the downstream area, including real-time monitoring technology data. It urged the Supreme Court to issue immediate directions to Kerala to permit the required tree-felling so that strengthening work can proceed without delay.
