Kottayam: In a significant step towards strengthening dam safety, the Central Water Commission (CWC) has constituted a five-member independent expert committee to conduct a comprehensive safety inspection of the Mullaperiyar Dam. The move follows the provisions of the Dam Safety Act, 2021, and the Centre has officially informed both Kerala and Tamil Nadu of the decision.
The expert panel will begin its detailed assessment shortly and has been instructed to submit a comprehensive report within four months of completing the inspection. The findings will be forwarded to the National Dam Safety Authority, as well as to the Central Government and the governments of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
Former Chief Engineer and CWC member T.K. Sivarajan has been appointed as the Kerala representative on the committee, while Balraj Joshi, former Managing Director of the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC), is also part of the panel.
Notably, only visual inspections by a supervisory committee have been carried out at Mullaperiyar since 2011, despite CWC guidelines mandating that major dams must undergo a detailed safety inspection once every ten years.
The renewed focus on a full-scale inspection comes after Dr. Jo Joseph of Kothamangalam approached the Supreme Court, seeking enforcement of comprehensive safety audits for critical dams like Mullaperiyar, highlighting long-standing public concerns over the dam’s structural safety.
