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Supreme Court allows higher Mullaperiyar level; Kerala passes dam law

· Mullaperiyar Dam

Supreme Court allows higher Mullaperiyar level; Kerala passes dam law
Rameshng at Malayalam Wikipedia, CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

The Supreme Court allowed Tamil Nadu to raise the Mullaperiyar dam's level to 142 feet; Kerala responded with a law capping it at 136 feet.

The Mullaperiyar dam lies in Kerala but is operated by Tamil Nadu, and after safety concerns were raised in 1979 its storage level was lowered to 136 feet. An empowered committee found the dam structurally safe, and on 27 February 2006 the Supreme Court allowed the level to be raised to 142 feet pending further strengthening work. Kerala then passed the Kerala Irrigation and Water Conservation (Amendment) Act, 2006, which listed Mullaperiyar as an endangered dam and fixed its maximum level at 136 feet. Tamil Nadu challenged the law, and in May 2014 the Supreme Court struck it down.

Related events

  1. 1886

    1. 29 Oct 1886Mullaperiyar DamAgriculture

      Periyar lease agreement with Travancore

      A 999-year lease for the Periyar irrigation works, signed by Travancore and the Secretary of State for India, later underpinned the Mullaperiyar dispute.

  2. 1895

    1. 1895Mullaperiyar DamAgriculture

      Mullaperiyar Dam completed

      The Periyar dam, built under John Pennycuick between 1887 and 1895, began diverting water east to the Madurai region of the Madras Presidency.

  3. 1970

    1. 1970Mullaperiyar DamAgriculture

      Mullaperiyar lease agreement renewed with Kerala

      The 1886 Periyar lease was renewed by Tamil Nadu and Kerala in 1970, with a higher rent and a new charge on power produced from the water.

  4. 1979

    1. 1979Mullaperiyar DamInfrastructure

      Mullaperiyar dam safety dispute begins

      Kerala's safety fears about Mullaperiyar dam after the 1979 Morvi disaster led Tamil Nadu to cut its storage level to 136 feet and reinforce the structure.

  5. 2007

    1. 5 Feb 2007KaveriLaw Justice

      Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal final award

      The Cauvery tribunal issued its final award allocating river water among Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Puducherry.

  6. 2014

    1. 7 May 2014Mullaperiyar DamLaw Justice

      Supreme Court verdict on Mullaperiyar dam

      The Supreme Court allowed Tamil Nadu to raise the Mullaperiyar reservoir level to 142 feet and struck down Kerala's law restricting it.

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