The recent dam disaster in Derna, Libya, is a stark reminder of the dangers of aging dams. There are over 28,000 dams around the world that were built in the mid-20th century and are now nearing obsolescence. One of the most dangerous of these dams is the 120-year-old Mullaperiyar dam in Kerala, India. This dam is located in an earthquake-prone zone and puts over 3.5 million lives at risk.
The Mullaperiyar dam is a gravity dam located on the Periyar River in Kerala, India. It was built in 1895 by the British and is one of the oldest dams in India. The dam is owned by the Tamil Nadu government, but it is located in Kerala. There has been a long-standing dispute between the two states over the safety of the dam.
The Kerala government has argued that the dam is unsafe and should be decommissioned. The Tamil Nadu government has argued that the dam is safe and should remain in operation. In 2018, the Supreme Court of India ruled that the Mullaperiyar dam is safe, but it also ordered that the water level in the dam be lowered.
The Mullaperiyar dam is a serious threat to the safety of millions of people. The dam is located in a seismic zone and is at risk of collapse in the event of an earthquake. The dam is also vulnerable to overtopping in the event of heavy rainfall.
The Derna dam disaster is a warning to the world about the dangers of aging dams. Governments need to take immediate action to assess the safety of their dams and to decommission those dams that are found to be unsafe.
The Mullaperiyar dam is a ticking time bomb. The Kerala government has been warning about the dangers of the dam for years, but the Tamil Nadu government has refused to take action. The Supreme Court of India has ruled that the dam is safe, but many experts disagree.
The Derna dam disaster is a stark reminder of what can happen when an aging dam fails. The Mullaperiyar dam is a much larger dam than the Derna dam, and its failure would have devastating consequences.
The Indian government needs to take immediate action to decommission the Mullaperiyar dam. The lives of millions of people depend on it.
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