Kerala wants new dam at Mullaperiyar

Thiruvananthapuram: Amidst raging debates continuing over the Mullaperiyar Dam, the LDF government on Tuesday made it clear that they are firm on their demand for a new reservoir considering the safety of the existing one and a Chief Minister level meeting would be held next month to arrive at a consensus with Tamil Nadu over the issue.

Power Minister K Krishnankutty, who spoke on behalf of Water Resources Minister Roshy Augustine in the Assembly, said that Kerala has always put forward the suggestion for a new dam with an aim to ensure the safety of life and property of the people of the state.

Water for Tamil Nadu and safety for Kerala was the state's motto in this regard, he said during question hour.

For the construction of a new dam, an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study should be conducted and the union ministry of environmental and forests had given conditional clearance for the Terms of Reference submitted by the state in this regard on November 14, 2018.

"Based on that, an environmental impact assessment study is progressing," the minister said while answering a question raised by legislator Eldose P Kunnappillil (Congress).

The minister admitted that the matter of the construction of a new dam was considered in various government and bureaucratic level meetings held between Kerala and

Tamil Nadu.