Mullaperiyar dam (File Photo)
Tamil Nadu today gained significant ground in a long legal battle with neighbouring Kerala over the controversial
Mullaperiyar dam.
The Supreme Court has struck down legislation passed by Kerala which tried to block Tamil Nadu's move to increase the amount of water stored in the dam.
Located in Kerala on the Periyar river, but contractually bound by an old lease signed before independence to water the fields across the border in Tamil Nadu, the dam looms over the two states as a massive bone of contention.
Kerala says that the dam, which is over 100 years old, is structurally unsafe, and its vulnerability is heightened by its location in an area where tremors are common. The Kerala government says lakhs of lives are at stake. So it wants the dam brought down and has offered to fund and build a new one on the Periyar river. Tamil Nadu feels that if a new dam is built, it will be forced to accept a reduced share of water.
The Supreme Court today said the water level in the dam could be increased from 136 feet to 142 feet under under the supervision of a committee of three experts.
In the villages of the Idukki district where the dam is located, protests have begun against the Supreme Court's verdict today.
The Supreme Court has been hearing the case since 2000.