In Lok Sabha, Mullaperiyar issue reopens old wounds between allies

On Wednesday morning, before Question Hour, the MPs stood to raise the issue, describing the ageing structure as a “water bomb”.

Eden said in his notice that the need to reconstruct the Mullaperiyar Dam was not just an engineering challenge but a moral and humanitarian imperative. Kuriackose emphasised on “imminent danger to the lives of people living near it”.

But with Speaker Om Birla not allowing them to raise the issue, the MPs rushed to the Well of the House.

Seeing the Kerala MPs raising the issue, Tamil Nadu MPs, too, rushed to the Well in protest. And as both sets of MPs were drowning each other out, Union Minister and BJP’s lone Kerala MP Suresh Gopi stood up from the Treasury Benches. Gopi later told The Indian Express that he stood in “support of people of Kerala” as the dam “puts the lives of people in danger”.

Senior DMK MPs M Kanimozhi, T R Baalu, A Raja and Dayanidhi Maran were not present in the House at this time.

The Mullaperiyar dam is situated on the Periyar river in Kerala but its ownership and operation rights belong to Tamil Nadu. The dam, constructed in 1895 during British rule, was designed to divert water from the west-flowing Periyar to the arid regions of Tamil Nadu for irrigation. Kerala maintains that the 130-year-old dam is unsafe but Tamil Nadu opposes its demand to build a new one.

Construction of a new dam would also give rise to a demand for a new water-sharing treaty; at present, only Tamil Nadu has rights over the dam water.

In his notice, Eden said: “The Mullaperiyar Dam, a century-old structure, poses an imminent threat that we can no longer afford to ignore. The need to reconstruct the Mullaperiyar dam is not just an engineering challenge but a moral and humanitarian imperative. The reconstruction of the Mullaperiyar dam is not just a regional issue; it is a national priority. We must act decisively and swiftly to prevent a potential disaster that could claim countless lives and cause irreversible damage. The government must therefore take proactive steps in this matter and decommission the Mullaperiyar dam at the earliest.”

Outside the House, Idukki MP Kuriackose said the 130-year-old dam is a danger to people. “If something unfortunate happens, the lives of people in five districts will be at risk. They have been living in fear for years. The government must do something. Around 5 million people are going to be affected by it. We want the government’s intervention in getting the National Dam Safety Authority functioning full-fledged. A new dam should be constructed in consultation with Tamil Nadu,” he said.