News Highlight
The Kerala government has constituted a technical committee to prepare an Emergency Action Plan (EAP) for the downstream part of the Mullaperiyar dam in the Idukki district.
Key Takeaway
- The six member technical committee is expected to draft and submit the EAP within three months.
- The court-appointed supervisory committee on the Mullaperiyar dam directed Kerala and Tamil Nadu to update the EAP for the dam.
- The panel has as its members
- The Chief Engineer, Irrigation Design & Research Board (IDRB), who is also co chair.
- The Chief Engineer, Civil, Dam Safety and Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project, Kerala State Electricity Board.
- The Member Secretary of the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority.
- The Superintending Engineer, Minor Irrigation Central Circle, Ernakulam (panel convener).
- The Executive Engineer, Minor Irrigation Division, Idukki.
Mullaperiyar Dam
- About
- It was built in 1895 on the Periyar River in the Idukki district of Kerala.
- Location
- It is 881 m (2,890 ft) above mean sea level, on the Cardamom Hills of the Western Ghats in Thekkady, Idukki district of Kerala, India.
- Construction
- It was constructed between 1887 and 1895 by John Pennycuick when the British Government decided to divert the water eastward to service the Madras presidency (present-day Tamil Nadu) farmers.
- Features
- The dam stands at the height of 53.66 metres and is 365.85 metres in length.
- Operation
- In 1886, a lease indenture for 999 years was made between the Maharaja of Travancore and the British Secretary of State for India for Periyar Irrigation Works.
- The dam is owned, operated and maintained by Tamil Nadu.
- Tamil Nadu maintained it for several purposes, including irrigation, drinking water supply and hydropower generation.
Periyar River
- Origin
- Periyar River originates from the Sivagiri hills of Western Ghats in Tamil Nadu and flows through the Periyar National Park.
- Features
- The river continues northwest, descending out of the mountains and onto the coastal plain, and turns west before emptying into the Arabian Sea.
- It is the longest river in the state of Kerala.
- It is one of the few perennial rivers in the region and provides drinking water for several major towns.
- Tributaries
- The main tributaries of Periyar are
- Muthirapuzha,
- Mullayar,
- Cheruthoni,
- Perinjankutti.
- The main tributaries of Periyar are
Pic Courtesy: News18
Content Source: The HIndu