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What is the News?
United Nations University-Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) has released a report titled “Ageing Water Storage Infrastructure: An Emerging Global Risk”. The report provides an overview of the current state of knowledge on the ageing of large dams.
According to the report, four Asian countries – China, Japan, India and South Korea – contribute to 55% of dams across the world and the majority of these dams are approaching the 50-year limit.
What does the report say on Mullaperiyar Dam?
The Mullaperiyar dam in Kerala was built on the Periyar river in 1895.
The dam is located in a seismically active area, making it prone to earthquakes. The intended lifespan of the dam is 50 years.
A minor earthquake caused cracks in the dam in 1979, and in 2011, more cracks appeared in the dam due to seismic activity. It warns that in case of a catastrophe, 3.5 million people would be in danger.
What are the steps taken by the Indian Government to protect Mullaperiyar Dam?
In 1979, Central Water Commission(CWC) had reported some distress conditions in the Mullaperiyar dam. Thereafter, some emergency and short term measures were completed by the Government of Tamil Nadu.
In 2014, the Empowered Committee set up by the Supreme Court concluded that the Mullaperiyar dam was safe in all respects, viz., hydrologically, structurally and seismically.
In 2021, the World Bank-funded Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP), carried out dam safety inspections for 28 dam projects of Kerala.
Note: Commissioning or decommissioning of dams owned by State Governments is exclusively within the purview of the dam owning State.
Source: This post is based on the article “UN REPORT ON MULLAPERIYAR DAM” published in PIB on 2nd December 2021.
