The Kerala State Government has announced that it will build a new dam across the Mullai Periyar River. The Kerala Assembly session begins today (Jan. 25) and will continue until January 27. It is customary for the first session of the year to begin with the Governor’s speech.

Accordingly, Kerala Governor Mohammad Arif Khan read the state policy statement in the Assembly session. The statement said that a new dam would be built across the river instead of the 125-year-old Mullai Periyar Dam in Idukki district.

The statement said that the plan to build a new dam was in consideration of the heavy rains and floods that lashed the region from 2018 to 2021, and the unprecedented floods that occurred in Idukki district, as well as the safety of millions of people living along the riverbanks, and to meet the water needs of Tamil Nadu.

The statement said that the new dam would be built using modern technology and contemporary construction techniques. It also said that the Kerala government has expressed this opinion in all relevant places, and that it will take all necessary steps after a possible solution with Tamil Nadu.

The Mullai Periyar Dam was built in 1895. The Tamil Nadu government is responsible for the management of the Mullai Periyar Dam, and it has been repeatedly stated that the dam is safe. However, the Kerala government has been demanding the construction of a new dam on the Mullai Periyar for many years.

Earlier, Governor Mohammad Arif Khan, who delivered the speech in the Assembly, skipped the first paragraph of the statement and read only the last ones. This incident caused dissatisfaction among the Assembly members, and there was a stir in the Assembly for a short while.