Saturday 10 December 2011

Mullaiperiyar Dam Issue

There are lots and lots of stories about mullai periyar from all the sides. Today both Tamilnadu and Kerala is almost fighting each others. TN CM's effigy burning in Kerala and do in Tamilnadu.

From years together we lived like brothers and sisters. Old Sangam Time History Says Kerala was part of a Tamil Kingdom called 'Chera'....Today with minor changes and sanskrit influence malayalam is little different than Tamil.  Not just words and meanings too remains the same....In tamil I   stated as 'Naan' and in malayalam 'Yaan' ....Many scholars say , Malayalam is Sanskrit influenced Tamil... Most of the dialogues can be easily understood in both the communities.

Ancient Chera king's brother Ilangovadikal written Tamil's famous literture 'Silappathikaram.' . Their ancient capital was Vanchi Muthur in the Kanthallur-Kizhanthur (Kuzhumur) region of the Idukki district of Kerala .

Today the same Idukki district escalates tension between the states. You can find a malayalee doing business ( those who speak Malayalam ) in any corner in Tamilnadu. Most of the border districts among tamilnadu and kerala has deep routes to their relationship.

How the division happened. In  fact there is no division , it is just because of the politicians this issue made it to the public in this nuisance way. Every part of India became politicized and this DAM is not exceptional.

A Supreme court order says 'the dam is safe  and must increase the water level..' Kerala states advacate general says ' even if Dam is affected by an earth quake , it doesn't make much damage to people.' So who estimated the damage? Is it good enough to waste people's money based on assumption?

So , Kerala's real interest is on 'Dam on Danger Due to Earth Quake' or something else? Here Comes the Buck...The Dam was built by British Government about 100 years ago..more on it you can simply find in wikipedia...else i will produce some of the important notes on it. ( thanks to wikipedia.com)

Mullaperiyar Dam is a masonry gravity dam on the Periyar River.[1][3][6] It is located 881 m (2,890 ft) above mean sea level on the Cardamom Hills of the Western Ghats in Thekkady, Idukki District of Kerala, South India. It was constructed between 1887 and 1895 by the British Government to divert water eastwards to Madras Presidency area (the present-day Tamil Nadu). It has a height of 53.6 m (176 ft) from the foundation and length of 365.7 m (1,200 ft).[1] The Periyar National Park in Thekkady is located around the dam's reservoir. The dam and the river are owned by and located in Kerala [1] but the dam is controlled and operated under a period lease by neighboring Tamil Nadu state.[1]

The Periyar river which flows westward into the Arabian Sea was diverted eastward to flow towards the Bay of Bengal to provide water to the arid rain shadow region of Madurai in Madras Presidency which was in dire need of a greater supply than the small Vaigai River could give.[8] The dam created the Periyar Thekkady reservoir, from which water was diverted eastwards to via a tunnel to augment the small flow of the Vaigai River. The Vaigai was dammed by the Vaigai Dam to provide a source for irrigating large tracts around Madurai. Initially the dam waters were used only for irrigation. Later, the Periyar Power Station in the lower Periyar, Tamil Nadu was built which generates hydro-electricity from the diverted waters.[10]
Currently, the water from the Periyar (Thekkadi) Lake created by the dam, is diverted through the water shed cutting and a subterranean tunnel to Forebay Dam near Kumili (Errachipalam) in Tamil Nadu. From Forebay dam, hydel pipe lines carry the water to the Periyar Power Station in Lower Periyar, Tamil Nadu. This is used for power generation (175 MW capacity) in the Periyar Power Station. The Lower Periyar Power Sation was constructed in 1956.
From the Periyar Power Station, the water is let out into Vairavanar river and then to Suruliyar and from Suruliyar to Vaigai Dam.

The Periyar project, as it was then known, was widely considered well into the 20th Century as "one of the most extraordinary feats of engineering ever performed by man".[8] A large amount of manual labour was involved and worker mortality from malaria was high. It was claimed that had it not been for "the medicinal effects of the native spirit called arrack, the dam might never have been finished".[8] 483 people died of diseases during the construction of this dam and were buried on-site in a cemetery just north of the dam.

What is the Real Issue behind the Dispute? My opinion will follows on second  part of this story.!

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