Expats fear for families living near Kerala dam

Expatriates from the South Indian state of Kerala, especially people from the four districts of Idukki, Kottayam, Alappuzha, Thrissur and Ernamkulam, lying close to the shaky Mullapperiyar Dam on the Periyar River, are worried about the safety of their families back home and community members are actively discussing the possible consequences of the collapse of the 116-year-old dam.

The shaky dam has been like a ticking time bomb for the people living in Idukki district, home to all the major and minor dams in Kerala state. All political parties and social activists in Kerala are overtly supporting the campaign for a new dam, while the government of neighbouring Tamil Nadu state is against building a new dam. Fears have risen after a few minor earthquakes were reported from the dam’s adjacent areas and the release of ‘Dam 999’, a movie on the collapse of the old dam, which was built by the British colonial government way back in 1895.

Social networking web sites, radio stations, community associations and the Indian media in the Gulf are preoccupied with the dam story and the impact of a possible dam collapse that can spread havoc along the banks of the river Periyar. Expatriate associations estimate that roughly four million Keralites will be directly affected if the Mullapperiyar dam collapses, causing a domino effect which will damage three other minor reservoirs that may not be able to hold the surplus water released from Mullapperiyar and huge mass of trees, sand and other objects released in case of a dam collapse.

Sohan Roy, a Dubai-based businessman, hailing from the Mullapperiyar dam area, has created a sensation with his movie ‘Dam 999’. If the dam collapses, people will not only lose their lives, great damage will be done to property and assets which are not insured as insurance companies have not included natural calamities in their risk coverage.
Says Gigi Wilson, general secretary, Idukki Expatriates Association in the Gulf: “Many expatriate families in the Gulf region hail from the Idukki, Kottayam, Ernamkulam and Alappuzha districts which will be directly affected by any damage to the Mullapperiyar dam. I was born and bought up in a family living just 5km away from the dam. All my family members and relatives are worried about the safety of the dam and the recent earthquakes in the region have added to our worries. Many people living in the area cannot even sleep.”

He said Indian expatriates in the Gulf countries are worried about the dam’s safety and the association’s immediate demand is to reduce the water level in the dam to 136 feet and immediate steps to build a new dam to replace the existing one. “Children living near the dam are going every morning to the dam to check if it is intact. If the dam collapses, about 150,000 people living in the areas up to the Idukki reservoir will be wiped out and their houses will be submerged under water.

If the Mullapperiyar dam collapses, three downstream reservoirs in Idukki, Cheruthoni and Kolamavu will also either collapse or weaken due to heavy water flow, he said over telephone from Doha, Qatar. “There have been silent protests close to the dam and the recent minor earthquakes have made people more aware of the danger. The media is also showing the possible impact of the dam collapse through special programmes and documentaries and the movie ‘Dam 999’ has added to the public’s worry. The Tamil Nadu government’s banning of the film has raised the public’s interest in it and about the dangers from the dam.

When it was built, the dam was expected to last just 50 years, and even after 116 years, the dam has not been rebuilt and cracks are visible. The dam is managed by the Tamil Nadu Government as per a 999-year lease agreement and the governments of Kerala and Tamil Nadu are at logger heads over rebuilding the dam.

If the dam in the high ranges of the Western Ghats bursts, water can reach 100 km away, up to the Arabian sea, wiping out houses and people on the way.

Biju Abel Jacob, president of the Periyar Pravasi Foundation and former president of the Ankamali NRI Foundation, said many expatriates in the UAE and other Gulf countries are very worried about the dam. “My house is located on the banks of the Periyar river, which gets flooded whenever water is released from the dam during the rainy seasons. My old parents and many relatives are living in fear and during the recent earthquakes and rainy season, they are more worried.”
“Many family members, especially children, in the area cannot sleep well as they are always in fear of being wiped out by water in case of a dam collapse. Water levels in the dam and Periyar River have gone up. There is a panic in Ankamali, and other parts of Ernakulam, Kottayam and Idukki districts of Kerala.”

The Periyar Foundation has about 200 members who live on either side of the Periyar river, the largest river in Kerala. Ankamali is one of the several places in the high risk areas. The Ankamali NRI Association has about 2,000 members in Dubai.

Giash M Haneef, business development manager of Neologic Technologies, who hails from the Koottikkal area of Mundakkayam, which is close to the dam, said whenever he calls his wife, they talk about the dam issue. “My wife and family lives in Koottikkal, which is in the danger zone of Mundakkayam. Whenever water is released normally from the dam, the area gets flooded. Sometimes the water levels reaches upto 50 feet and a small river cannot accommodate all the water. Even women and children from many families are joining the protest movement for a new dam. The density of population in the Mundakkayam area is very high and in case Mullapperiyar dam collapses, the water will wipe out everything including people and their homes.

“The risk is very high for people of Mundakkayam.  The water can reach up to Aleppey and Meenachil river in Kottayam district. I am supporting the campaign to build a new dam in the area through Facebook and youtube,” he said.
 

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