Idukki, September 3 (H.S.): Kerala has urged the Supreme Court-appointed panel conducting a comprehensive safety evaluation of the Mullaperiyar dam to strictly follow the terms of reference (ToR) fixed in August 2025, state government adviser on inter-state water issues James Wilson said.

The panel recently conducted a field inspection of the main dam, baby dam, earthen dam and spillway and heard submissions from both Kerala and Tamil Nadu, Wilson said.

“All our safety concerns have been presented before the committee in detail. Our main demand is that the safety review should proceed strictly in accordance with the terms of reference fixed in August 2025,” he told reporters here on Wednesday evening.

Wilson said Kerala had placed before the panel its concerns relating to various aspects of the dam’s safety, including flooding, seismology and the need to collect samples from the structure for detailed examination.

He said the field inspection should not be viewed as a process that could ordinarily be completed in a single day, as a comprehensive safety evaluation required detailed examination.

According to Wilson, the panel had indicated that it would consider the concerns raised by Kerala, though whether all the issues would be taken up would fall within the committee’s mandate.

He said Kerala’s concerns broadly covered four areas — hydrological safety, structural safety, seismic safety and seepage-related issues.

“We have pointed out the shortcomings in earlier studies as well,” Wilson said, adding that the state appreciated the opportunity to place its concerns before the panel. He said Kerala had presented what it considered technically sound issues, while Tamil Nadu had also placed its submissions before the committee.

The panel is headed by former National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) CMD Balraj Joshi and is conducting the comprehensive safety evaluation following its appointment by the Supreme Court.

Joshi had said on Tuesday that the panel would submit its report to the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) within 10 to 15 days.

The Mullaperiyar dam has remained a longstanding point of dispute between Kerala and Tamil Nadu, with safety concerns forming a major part of the disagreement. Kerala has maintained that the structure requires close scrutiny, while Tamil Nadu has maintained that the dam is safe.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Indrani Sarkar