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Mulla Periyar Dam
issue
1. On 29-10-1886 a lease indenture for 999 years was made between Maharaja ofTravancore and Secretary of State for India for Periyar irrigation works by anotheragreement in 1970, Tamil Nadu was permitted to generate power also.2. The Mullaperiyar Dam was constructed during 1887-1895 across Periyar River inthe then Travancore state (now Kerala) territory after said indenture. The Periyar Damwith full reservoir level of 152 ft. provides for diversion of water from the reservoir througha tunnel to Vaigai basin in Tamil Nadu for irrigation benefits in 68558 ha.
3 In 1979, reports appeared in Kerala Press about the safety of Mulla PeriyarDam. On 25thNovember, 1979 Chairman, CWC held discussions at Thirvananthapuramregarding strengthening Periyar dam with officers of Irrigation and Electricity, Deptt. ofKerala and PWD of Tamil Nadu. In the meeting, emergency measures to be completedbefore next monsoon (1980), medium term measures and long-term measures forstrengthening of Periyar Dam were decided. One of the emergency measures was tokeep the shutters of spillway raised fully to lower the reservoir level to 136 ft.
4. A second meeting under the Chairmanship of Chairman, CWC was held on29th April 1980 at New Delhi and it was opined that after the completion of emergency andmedium term measures in the form of cable anchoring, the water level in the reservoircan be restored up to 145 ft.5. As per the Memorandum on the Rehabilitation of Mulla Periyar Dam prepared byCWC and forwarded to Tamil Nadu on 25 th March, 1986, emergency measures wereimplemented. In the aforesaid Memo, CWC gave its recommendation about peak floodand size of additional vents to be added in the spillway for implementing remainingemergency measure of providing additional spilling capacity. It also gave itsrecommendation about the design details of concrete backing on the downstream face ofthe dam. Besides this, CWC suggested The Government of Tamil Nadu to examine thepossibility of raising the top of RCC parapet by another two feet apart from few othersuggestions. It was opined in the forwarding note that after completion of theproposed strengthening measures, provision of other additional vents andimplementation of other suggestions, Periyar dam would be competent to hold water uptoFRL of 152 ft.6. The matter became subjudice with several petitions in the Kerala and Tamil NaduHigh Courts. All these cases were transferred to the Supreme Court which heard thematter and desired in its order dated 28.4.2000 that Honble Minister (WR) may convenea meeting of the Chief Ministers of both the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu to amicablyresolve the issue. .7. Honble Minister (WR) convened the Inter-State meeting on 19.5.2000 and asdecided in the meeting, an Expert Committee under Member (D&R), CWC withrepresentatives from both States was constituted in June 2000 to study the safety of thedam with respect to strengthening of dam carried out by The Government of Tamil Naduon the advice of Central Water Commission and advise regarding raising of water level in
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the reservoir beyond 136 ft as a result of strengthening of dam.8. The Committee in its report of March, 2001 opined that with the strengtheningmeasures implemented, the water level can be raised from 136 ft. to 142 ft. withoutendangering safety of the dam. Further raising of water level to 152 ft. will be consideredafter balance strengthening measures are implemented.9. In the case of Transfer Petition (Civil) No. 779-783/1998 Dr. SubramanianSwamy Vs Tamil Nadu, the Report of the Expert Committee was filed in the HonbleSupreme Court on 31.8.2001 and also sent to the State Governments of Kerala andTamil Nadu.
10 In writ Petition ( C) No. 386 of 2001 (Mulla Periyar Environmental ProtectionForum Vs Union of India and Ors) the Supreme Court in its Judgement dated 27.2.2006,permitted the Government of Tamil Nadu to raise the water level of Mulla Periyar damfrom 136 ft. to 142 ft. and take up the remaining strengthening measures.11. Consequent to the aforesaid orders of the Supreme Court of India, the KeralaGovernment passed the Kerala Irrigation and Water Conservation (Amendment) Act2006 which received the assent of the Governor on 18th March 2006 which prohibitedthe raising of water level beyond 136 ft. in the Mulla Periyar Dam as Mullaperiyar Damwas placed under the Schedule of Endangered Dams.12. The Government of Tamil Nadu filed a suit No. 3 of 2006 - State of Tamil Nadu v/sState of Kerala and Union of India in the Honble Supreme Court on 31.3.2006 prayingfor -
(i) Declaration of Kerala Irrigation and Water Conservation (Amendment) Act
2006 passed by Kerala Legislature as unconstitutional in its application toand effect on Mulla Periyar Dam.
(ii) Pass a decree of permanent injunction restraining Kerala from applicationand enforcing impunged legislation enforcing with or obstructing TamilNadu from increasing the water level to 142 feet and from carrying out therepair works as per judgment of Supreme Court dated 27th February 2006.
13. A Review Petition filed by the State of Kerala on 3.4.2006 was dismissed by theSupreme Court on 27.7.2006.
14. In the matter referred to in para 13 above, the Honble Supreme Court has passedan order on 25.9.2006 stating the two State Governments independently or with theintervention of the Union of India may try to sort out the dispute, if possible.
15. The Honble Union Minister (WR) convened an inter-State meeting of the ChiefMinisters of States of Tamil Nadu & Kerala on Mulla periyar dam issue on 29.11.2006at New Delhi. Honble Union Minister (WR) further discussed matter with the Minister(WR/PW) from the States of Tamil Nadu & Kerala on18.12.2006. The States of TamilNadu and Kerala reiterated their respective stand in the meetings and no consensuscould be reached regarding a solution acceptable to both States. The matter is nowsubjudice.
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16. Subsequently, Honble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu met Honble Prime Ministeron 18.12.2007 and Honble Prime Minister suggested him to have a meeting with HonbleChief Minister of Kerala on Mulla Periyar issue. Honble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu metHonble Chief Minister of Kerala on 19.12.2007 in presence of Honble Union Minister ofWater Resources. Further a letter dated 20.12.2007 was received from the HonbleChief Minister of Tamil Nadu mentioning that in the above meeting, Honble ChiefMinister of Tamil Nadu suggested to oversee the seepage measurement of the dam byengineers not belonging to either of the two States through CWC and Honble ChiefMinister of Kerala agreed to consider them.17. Later, the Govt. of Tamil Nadu forwarded a letter dt 22/1/08 of Honble ChiefMinister of Kerala addressed to Honble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu wherein it ismentioned that in the meeting dt 19/12/2007 he suggested a joint mechanism to monitorthe seepage. The Govt. of Tamil Nadu also enclosed a letter dated 4/2/2008 from HonbleChief Minister of Tamil Nadu addressed to Honble Chief Minister of Kerala wherein it ismentioned that joint monitoring was not discussed in the meeting.18. CWC was requested to suggest a suitable mechanism for monitoring the seepageand possible structure of the Committee to monitor it. They suggested a nine- memberCommittee headed by a Chief Engineer, Central Water Commission havingrepresentatives from both States for Monitoring the seepage of Mulla Periyar Dam. Thecomposition of the Committee along with terms of reference was sent to ChiefSecretary, Government of Tamil Nadu and Kerala vide letter dated 28.4.2008 for theirconcurrence / suggestions.19. The Government of Tamil Nadu vide its letter dated 17.6.2008 has sent itscomments on the proposed Monitoring Committee stating that the present proposal of theGovernment of India to constitute a Committee comprising officers from CWC, TamilNadu Government and Kerala Government to measure the seepage in Mulla PeriyarDam is not in conformity with the discussion held in the meeting dated 19.12.2007 andproposal will lead to more and more complications and thus not acceptable to Govt. ofTamil Nadu. The Govt. of Kerala vide letter dt 24.2.2009 informed that the stand taken bythe Govt. of Tamil Nadu for neutral agency of experts excluding those form Kerala andTamil Nadu is not acceptable to them.20. In the meanwhile, Govt. of Kerala has got done hydrological review studies from aprofessor of IIT,Delhi and has since filed the said hydrological studies report in theHonble Supreme Court on 15.07.08 in connection with Suit No.3 of 2006 filed by theGovernment of Tamil Nadu. It has been concluded in the report that the Mulla Periyardam is hydrologic ally unsafe for passing the estimated Probable Maximum Flood (2,91,275 cusec / 8,248 cusec) with the existing spillway capacity. Comments ofHydrological Studies Organisation, CWC on the report were forwarded to the Govt.Advocate as per instructions of MoWR vide CWC letter dated 13.10.08. CWC hascommented that the difference in the adopted values of Design Rainfall (Storm) depth,Time distribution of rainfall, Unit hydrograph & Infiltration rate have resulted in estimationof higher flood peak (PMF) and the said studies by the IIT Professor does not appear tobe well founded.21. Meanwhile the Government of Kerala constituted a Committee in May 2009 whichsubmitted its report in June, 2009. The Committee suggested mapping of the underwater
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area, installation of highly sensitive computer operated Seismograph and construction ofa new Dam downstream of existing dam. The Committee has also opined that the damhas reached such a deteriorated condition that no amount of rectification work couldsalvage it to a safe and healthy condition. Keeping in view this report, Minister (WR)advised Chairman, CWC in July, 2009 to constitute a team of officers to visit the dam andassess the present condition of the Mulla Periyar dam and look into the issues raised inthe report of the above Expert Committee. The team had proposed a visit to the dam from22-25 July, 2009 and the conveniences of the Government of Kerala and Tamil Nadu forthe visit were sought. The Government of Tamil Nadu agreed to the proposed visit but theGovernment of Kerala requested for postponement of the proposed visit because oftorrential rains. Thereafter, the visit could not materialize.22. Thereafter, Secretary (WR) convened a meeting on the Mulla Periyar Dam on31.7.2009. The meeting was attended among others by Principal Secretary, PWD, TamilNadu and Additional Chief Secretary, WRD, Kerala. In the meeting the representative ofKerala informed that the Kerala Govt. visualizes construction of new dam as the onlyfeasible solution and they have started survey and investigation for a new dam at analternate site downstream of the existing dam and they may also consider theconstruction of a new dam at their own cost. Representative of Kerala stated in themeeting that the Govt. of Kerala also recognizes the established uses of water from thedam by Tamil Nadu as per the existing agreement between the two States and willcontinue the same after the construction of a new dam. In the said meeting therepresentative of Govt. of Tamil Nadu informed that the Govt. of Tamil Nadu wouldexamine the proposal of the Govt. of Kerala for new Dam after the same is formallyreceived from them. In view of this, Honble Minister (WR) vide DO dated26.08.2009 requested Honble Chief Minister, Kerala to send the proposal in this regardto the Govt. of Tamil Nadu for their consideration.23. Later, Govt. of Tamil Nadu vide letter dated 14.9.09 mentioned that as regards thedecision that has emerged in the meeting, to examine the proposal of the KeralaGovernment for the construction of a new dam by Tamil Nadu Government, theGovernment of Tamil Nadu had already communicated to the Government of India aswell as to the Government of Kerala that there is no need for construction of a new damby the Kerala Government, as the existing dam after it is strengthened, functions like anew dam. They also mentioned that Honble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu in his letterdated 13.07.09 to Honble Chief Minister of Kerala had mentioned that Kerala Govt. maynot raise the issue of new dam any more.24. The Govt. of Kerala vide letter dated 26.9.2009 sent comments on the minutes ofthe meeting dated 31.7.2009 mentioning that the statement The Govt. of Kerala alsorecognizes the established use of water from the dam by the Tamil Nadu as per theexisting agreement between the two States and continue the same after the constructionof new dam is not acceptable. What was mentioned in the meeting was that Kerala iswilling to give water to Tamil Nadu.25. Further, Honble Supreme Court heard the issues related to Mulla Periyar Dam on10.11.2009 and passed the order that,
As the case involves the resolution of said questions, the suit may be placedbefore the Honble Chief Justice of India for necessary directions for placing itbefore a constitution Bench.
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The contesting parties shall maintain status quo in respect of Mulla Periyar Damas existing today. However, order of status quo will not be an impediment for theplaintiff (State of Tamil Nadu) to carry out maintenance and repairs for properupkeep of the said Dam.
26. The case was heard by five judges on 18.2.2010 and the Court directed CentralGovt. to constitute an empowered Committee in this regard which would hear the partiesto the suit on all issues that will be raised before them, and furnish a report, as far aspossible, with in six months from their constitution.
27 Following the order of Honble Supreme Court dated 29.02.2010, Centre (MoWR)has constituted an Empowered Committee vide Notification dated the 30th April,2010. The Committee started its functioning and was to submit its report within sixmonths period. Further, Supreme Court vide its order dated 20thSeptember, 2010 hasextended the term of Committee by a further period of six months. Therefore,implementing the said directions of the Supreme Court, the Central Government extends,the terms of Empowered Committee for a further period of six months w.e.f. 30 th October,2010 vide Notification dated the 28th October, 2010.
Mullaperiyar DamFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mullaperiyar Dam
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mullapperiyardam.jpg8/3/2019 Mulla Periyar Dam Issue
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Location of Mullaperiyar Dam
Official name Periyar Dam [1]
Country India
Location Kerala
Coordinates93143N 77839ECoordinates: 93143
N 77839E
Status Operational
Construction began 1887
Opening date 1895
Owner(s) Kerala
Dam and spillways
Type of dam Masonrygravity damirrigation
Height (foundation) 53.66 m (176 ft)[1]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullaperiyar_Dam#cite_note-nrld-0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keralahttp://toolserver.org/~geohack/geohack.php?pagename=Mullaperiyar_Dam¶ms=9_31_43_N_77_8_39_E_type:landmarkhttp://toolserver.org/~geohack/geohack.php?pagename=Mullaperiyar_Dam¶ms=9_31_43_N_77_8_39_E_type:landmarkhttp://toolserver.org/~geohack/geohack.php?pagename=Mullaperiyar_Dam¶ms=9_31_43_N_77_8_39_E_type:landmarkhttp://toolserver.org/~geohack/geohack.php?pagename=Mullaperiyar_Dam¶ms=9_31_43_N_77_8_39_E_type:landmarkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geographic_coordinate_systemhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geographic_coordinate_systemhttp://toolserver.org/~geohack/geohack.php?pagename=Mullaperiyar_Dam¶ms=9_31_43_N_77_8_39_E_type:landmarkhttp://toolserver.org/~geohack/geohack.php?pagename=Mullaperiyar_Dam¶ms=9_31_43_N_77_8_39_E_type:landmarkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dam#Types_of_damshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masonryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masonryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravity_damhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravity_damhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irrigationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullaperiyar_Dam#cite_note-nrld-0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:India_Kerala_location_map.svghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullaperiyar_Dam#cite_note-nrld-0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keralahttp://toolserver.org/~geohack/geohack.php?pagename=Mullaperiyar_Dam¶ms=9_31_43_N_77_8_39_E_type:landmarkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geographic_coordinate_systemhttp://toolserver.org/~geohack/geohack.php?pagename=Mullaperiyar_Dam¶ms=9_31_43_N_77_8_39_E_type:landmarkhttp://toolserver.org/~geohack/geohack.php?pagename=Mullaperiyar_Dam¶ms=9_31_43_N_77_8_39_E_type:landmarkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dam#Types_of_damshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masonryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravity_damhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irrigationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullaperiyar_Dam#cite_note-nrld-08/3/2019 Mulla Periyar Dam Issue
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Length 365.85 m (1,200 ft) (main)[1]
Crest width 3.6 m (12 ft)
Base width 42.2 m (138 ft)[2]
Impounds Periyar River
Spillways 13 [3]
Spillway capacity 3,454.62 cubic metres per second (121,999
cu ft/s)[1]
Reservoir
Capacity 443,230,000 m3(359,332 acreft)
Active capacity 299,130,000 m3(242,509 acreft)[4]
Max. water depth 47.2 m (155 ft)
Mullaperiyar Dam orMullai Periyar Dam (Malayalam: ; Tamil: ) is amasonrygravity damon the Periyar River.[1][2][5] It is located 881 m (2,890 ft)
above mean sea level on the Cardamom Hills of the Western Ghats inThekkady,Idukki
District ofKerala, South India. It was constructed between 1887 and 1895 by the British Government
to divert water eastwards to Madras Presidency area (the present-dayTamil Nadu). It has a height of
53.6 m (176 ft) from the foundation and length of 365.7 m (1,200 ft).[1]ThePeriyar National Park in
Thekkady is located around the dam's reservoir. The dam and the river are owned by and located in
Kerala [1]but the dam is controlled and operated under a period lease by neighboring Tamil
Nadu state.[1] The control and safety of the dam and the validity and fairness of the lease agreement
have been points ofdispute between Kerala and Tamil Nadu states.[6]The dam is an 'endangered'
scheduled dam under the Kerala Irrigation and Water Conservation (Amendment) Act, 2006.[7]
Contents
[hide]
1 Etymology
2 Purpose
3 Design
4 History
o 4.1 Feasability studies
o 4.2 Lease
o 4.3 Construction
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullaperiyar_Dam#cite_note-nrld-0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullaperiyar_Dam#cite_note-nrld-0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullaperiyar_Dam#cite_note-Frye1918-1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Periyar_Riverhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spillwayhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullaperiyar_Dam#cite_note--2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullaperiyar_Dam#cite_note-nrld-0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullaperiyar_Dam#cite_note-nrld-0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullaperiyar_Dam#cite_note-study-3http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malayalam_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamil_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masonryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masonryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravity_damhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravity_damhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravity_damhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Periyar_Riverhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullaperiyar_Dam#cite_note-nrld-0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullaperiyar_Dam#cite_note-Frye1918-1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullaperiyar_Dam#cite_note-Ramakrishnan27112011-4http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardamom_Hillshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Ghatshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thekkadyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thekkadyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idukki_Districthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idukki_Districthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keralahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keralahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamil_Naduhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamil_Naduhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullaperiyar_Dam#cite_note-nrld-0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullaperiyar_Dam#cite_note-nrld-0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullaperiyar_Dam#cite_note-nrld-0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Periyar_National_Parkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullaperiyar_Dam#cite_note-nrld-0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullaperiyar_Dam#cite_note-nrld-0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamil_Naduhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamil_Naduhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullaperiyar_Dam#cite_note-nrld-0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullaperiyar_Dam#cite_note-nrld-0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamil_Nadu-Kerala_dam_rowhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamil_Nadu-Kerala_dam_rowhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullaperiyar_Dam#cite_note-mathew-5http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullaperiyar_Dam#cite_note-mathew-5http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullaperiyar_Dam#cite_note-mathew-5http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullaperiyar_Dam#cite_note-Kerala_Irrigation_And_Water_Conservation-6http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullaperiyar_Damhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullaperiyar_Dam#Etymologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullaperiyar_Dam#Purposehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullaperiyar_Dam#Designhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullaperiyar_Dam#Historyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullaperiyar_Dam#Feasability_studieshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullaperiyar_Dam#Leasehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullaperiyar_Dam#Constructionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullaperiyar_Dam#cite_note-nrld-0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullaperiyar_Dam#cite_note-Frye1918-1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Periyar_Riverhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spillwayhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullaperiyar_Dam#cite_note--2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullaperiyar_Dam#cite_note-nrld-0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullaperiyar_Dam#cite_note-study-3http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malayalam_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamil_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masonryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravity_damhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Periyar_Riverhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullaperiyar_Dam#cite_note-nrld-0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullaperiyar_Dam#cite_note-Frye1918-1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullaperiyar_Dam#cite_note-Ramakrishnan27112011-4http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardamom_Hillshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Ghatshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thekkadyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idukki_Districthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idukki_Districthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keralahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamil_Naduhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullaperiyar_Dam#cite_note-nrld-0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Periyar_National_Parkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullaperiyar_Dam#cite_note-nrld-0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamil_Naduhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamil_Naduhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullaperiyar_Dam#cite_note-nrld-0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamil_Nadu-Kerala_dam_rowhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullaperiyar_Dam#cite_note-mathew-5http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullaperiyar_Dam#cite_note-Kerala_Irrigation_And_Water_Conservation-6http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullaperiyar_Damhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullaperiyar_Dam#Etymologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullaperiyar_Dam#Purposehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullaperiyar_Dam#Designhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullaperiyar_Dam#Historyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullaperiyar_Dam#Feasability_studieshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullaperiyar_Dam#Leasehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullaperiyar_Dam#Construction8/3/2019 Mulla Periyar Dam Issue
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5 Protected area
6 Dam Safety
7 Interstate dispute
8 Justice A.S. Anand Committee (The Empowered Committee)
9 Construction of a new dam
10 See also
11 References
12 Further reading
Etymology
Earlier known as the Periyar dam as it was basically meant to dam the Periyar river,[8] the present
name Mullaperiyaris derived from a portmanteau ofMullayar Riverand Periyar River, at the
confluence of which the dam is located below.[9]
Purpose
68,558 ha (264.70 sq mi) Irrigated Area
The Periyar river which flows westward into the Arabian Sea was diverted eastward to flow towards
the Bay of Bengal to provide water to the arid rain shadow region ofMadurai in Madras
Presidency which was in dire need of a greater supply than the smallVaigai Rivercould give.[8] The
dam created the Periyar Thekkady reservoir, from which water was diverted eastwards to via a tunnel
to augment the small flow of the Vaigai River. The Vaigai was dammed by the Vaigai Dam to provide a
source for irrigating large tracts around Madurai. Initially the dam waters were used only for the
irrigation of 68,558 ha (169,411 acres).[10] Later, the Periyar Power Station in the lower Periyar, Tamil
Nadu was built which generates hydro-electricityfrom the diverted waters.[11]
Currently, the water from the Periyar (Thekkadi) Lake created by the dam, is diverted through the
water shed cutting and a subterranean tunnel to Forebay Dam near Kumili (Errachipalam) in Tamil
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Nadu. From Forebay dam, hydel pipe lines carry the water to the Periyar Power Station in Lower
Periyar, Tamil Nadu. This is used for power generation (175 MW capacity) in the Periyar Power
Station. The Lower Periyar Power Sation was constructed in 1956.
From the Periyar Power Station, the water is let out into Vairavanar river and then to Suruliyar and
from Suruliyar to Vaigai Dam.
Design
The Mullaperiyar Dam is agravity dam made withlimestone and surkhi (a mixture of crushed brick,
sugar and quicklime). Gravity dams use their weight and the force of gravity to support the reservoir
and remain stable.[2][5]The main dam has a maximum height of 53.6 m (176 ft) and length of 365.7 m
(1,200 ft). Its crest is 3.6 m (12 ft) wide while the base has a width of 42.2 m (138 ft). It consists of a
main dam, spillwayon its left and an auxiliary dam (or "baby dam") to the right. Its reservoir can
withhold 443,230,000 m3 (359,332 acreft) of water, of which 299,130,000 m3 (242,509 acreft) is active
(live) storage.[2][4]
Layout of Mullaperiyar dam.
History
This article needs auditing forcompliance with theManual of
Style.Please improve this article if youcan.(December 2011)
Feasability studies
The unique idea of harnessing the westward flowing water of the Periyar river and diverting it to the
eastward flowing Vagai river was first explored in 1789 by Pradani Muthirulappa Pillai, a minister of the
Ramnad king Muthuramalinga Sethupathy, who gave it up as he found it to be expensive.[12] The
location of the dam had first been scouted by Captain J. L. Caldwell, Madras Engineers (abbreviated
as M.E.) in 1808 to reconnoitre the feasibility of providing water from the Periyar river to Madurai by a
tunnel through the mountains. Caldwell discovered that the excavation needed would be in excess of
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100 feet in depth and the project was abandoned with the comment in his report as "decidedly
chimerical and unworthy of any further regard".[8]
The first attempt at damming the Periyar with an earthen dam in 1850 was given up due to demands
for higher wages by the labour citing unhealthy living conditions.[5] The proposal was resubmitted a
number of times and in 1862, Captain J. G. Ryves, M.E., carried out a study and submitted proposals
in 1867 for another earthwork dam, 62 feet high. The matter was debated by the Madras Government
and the matter further delayed by the terrible famine of 1876-77. Finally, in 1882, the construction of
the dam was approved and MajorJohn Pennycuick, M.E., placed in charge to prepare a revised
project and estimate which was approved in 1884 by his superiors.[8]
Lease
On 29 October 1886, a lease indenture for 999 years was made between theMaharaja of
Travancore,Visakham Thirunal Rama Varma and the British Secretary of State for India for Periyar
Irrigation Works. The lease agreement was signed by Dewan of Travancore V Ram Iyengar and State
Secretary ofMadras StateJ C Hannington. This lease was made after 24 years negotiation between
the Maharaja and the British. The lease indenture granted full right, power and liberty to the Secretary
of State for India to construct make and carry out on the leased land and to use exclusively when
constructed, made and carried out, all such irrigation works and other works ancillary thereto to. The
agreement gave 8000 acres of land for the reservoir and another 100 acres to construct the dam. The
tax for each acre was 5 per year. The lease provided the British the rights over "all the waters" of the
Mullaperiyar and its catchment basin, for an annual rent of 40,000.[13]
In 1947, afterIndian Independence, After British India was partitioned in 1947 into India and Pakistan,
Travancore and Cochin joined the Union of India and on 1 July 1949 were merged to form Travancore-
Cochin. On 1 January 1950 (Republic Day), Travancore-Cochin was recognised as a state. The
Madras Presidency was organised to form Madras State in 1947.
On 1 November 1956, the state of Kerala was formed by the States Reorganisation Act merging the
Malabar district, Travancore-Cochin , and the taluk of Kasargod, South Kanara.[50] In 1957, elections
for the new Kerala Legislative Assembly were held, and a reformist, Communist-led government came
to power, under E.M.S. Namboodiripad.[50]The Communist government initiated pioneering land
reforms, leading to lowest levels of rural poverty in India .And the Kerala state govt announced that the
agreement which was signed between British Raj and Travancore agreement has expired. And Keral
Govt said in need to be renewd. After several failed attempts to renew the agreement in 1958, 1960,
and 1969, the agreement was renewed in 1970 when C Achutha Menon was Kerala Chief Minister.
According to the renewed agreement, the tax per acre was increased to 30, and for the electricity
generated in Lower Camp using Mullaperiyar water, the charge was 12 per kiloWatt per hour. Tamil
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Nadu uses the water and the land, and the Tamil Nadu government has been paying to the Kerala
government for the past 50 years 2.5 lakhs as tax per year for the whole land and 7.5 lakhs per
year as surcharge for the total amount of electricity generated.[11][13] The validity of this agreement is
under dispute between the States of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The matter is currently pending before a
Division Bench of the Supreme Court.[14][15][16][17]
Construction
Cross-section of the dam.
In May 1887, construction of the dam began. As per "The Military Engineer in India" Vol II by Sandes
(1935), the dam was constructed from lime stone and surkhi(burnt brick powder and a mixture of
sugar and calcium oxide, one of the archaic construction techniques of 19th century) [5]at a cost of
104 lakhs, was 173 feet high and 1241 feet in length along the top and enclosed more than 15
thousand million cubic feet of water.[8]Another source states that the dam was constructed of concrete
(no real evidence or reference for this) and gives a figure of 152 feet height of the full water level of the
reservoir, with impounding capacity of 10.56 thousand million cubic feet along-with a total estimated
cost of 84.71 lak.[8]
The construction involved the use of troops from the 1st and 4th battalions of theMadras Pioneers as
well as Portuguesecarpenters from Cochin who were employed in the construction of the coffer-dams
and other structures.[8]The greatest challenge was the diversion of the river so that lower portions of
the great dam could be built. The temporary embankments and coffer-dams used to restrain the river
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waters were regularly swept away by floods and rains. Due to the coffer dam failures, the British
stopped funding the project. OfficerPennycuickraised funds by selling his wife's jewelry to continue
the work. In Madurai, MajorPennycuick's statue has been installed at the state PWD office and his
photographs are found adorning walls in peoples homes and shops. In 2002, his great grandson was
honoured in Madurai, a function that was attended by thousands of people.[12]
The dam created a reservoir in a remote gorge of the Periyar river situated 3,000 feet above the sea in
dense and malarial jungle, and from the northerly arm of this manmade waterbody, the water flowed
first through a deep cutting for about a mile and then through a tunnel, 5704 feet in length and later
through another cutting on the other side of thewatershed and into a natural ravine and so onto the
Vaigai River which has been partly built up for a length of 86 miles, finally discharging 2000 cusecs of
water for the arid rain shadow regions of present-day Theni, Madurai District,Sivaganga
District andRamanathapuramdistricts ofTamil Nadu, then under British rule as part of Madras
Province (Sandes, 1935).[8]
The Periyar project, as it was then known, was widely considered well into the 20th Century as "one of
the most extraordinary feats of engineering ever performed by man".[8] A large amount of manual
labour was involved and worker mortality from malaria was high. It was claimed that had it not been for
"the medicinal effects of the native spirit calledarrack, the dam might never have been finished".[8] 483
people died of diseases during the construction of this dam and were buried on-site in a cemetery just
north of the dam.
Protected area
Periyar National Park
The Periyar National Park inThekkady, a Protected area of Kerala, is located around the dam's
reservoir, the 26 km2 (10 sq mi) Periyar lake. 62 different kinds ofmammals have been recorded in
Periyar, including many threatened ones. Periyar is a highly protectedtiger reserve andelephant
reserve. There are an estimated 53 tigers(2010) in the reserve.[18]Tourists come here to view
theIndian elephants in their natural habitat. The elephant number around 900 to 1000 individuals.
Other mammals found here include gaur,Bison,sambar(horse deer), barking deer, mouse
deer,Dholes(Indian wild dogs),mongoose,foxesandleopards. Also inhabiting the park, though rarely
seen, are the elusiveNilgiri tahr. Four species of primates are found at Periyar - the rarelion-tailed
macaque, theNilgiri Langur, the commonlangur, and the Bonnet Macaque. According to a report by
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the Kerala Forest Research Institute, the protected area surrounding the dam and reservoir is
classified as abiodiversity hot spot.[19]
Dam Safety
After the 1979Morvi Dam failure which killed up to 25,000 people,[20]safety concerns of the aging
Mullaperiyar dam's and alleged leaks and cracks in the structure were raised by the Kerala
Government.[21] A Kerala government institution, Centre for Earth Science Studies (CESS),
Thiruvananthapuram, had reported that the structure would not withstand an earthquake above
magnitude 6 on the Richter scale.[21] The dam was also inspected by the Chairman, CWC (Central
Water Commission). On the orders of the CWC, the Tamil Nadu government lowered the storage level
from 142.2 feet to 136 feet, conducted safety repairs and strengthened the dam.[10]
Strengthening measures adopted by Tamil Nadu PWD from 1979 onwards include cable anchoring of
the dam's structure and RCC backing for the front slope. During a recent scanning of the Mullaperiyar
dam using aremotely operated vehicleby the Central Soil and Materials Research Station on
directions from the Empowered Committee of the Supreme Court, the Kerala Government observer
opined that "mistakes in the strengthening works carried out by Tamil Nadu" in 1979 damaged the
masonry of the dam.[22]
Current safety concerns hinge around several issues. Since the dam was constructed using stone
ruble masonry with lime mortar grouting following prevailing 19th century construction techniques that
have now become archaic, eepage and leaks from the dam have caused concern.[23][24]Moreover, the
dam is situated in a seismically active zone.
[25]
An earthquake measuring 4.5 on the Richter scaleoccurred on June 7, 1988 with maximum damage in Nedumkandam and Kallar (within 20 km of the
dam). Consequently several earthquake tremors have occurred in the area in recent times. These
could be reservoir-induced seismicity, requiring further studies according to experts.[26] A report by IIT
Roorkee states that the dam "was likely to face damage if an earthquake of the magnitude of 6.5 on
the Richter scale struck its vicinity when the water level is at 136 feet".[27]
Interstate dispute
The neutralityof this section is disputed. Please see the discussion on the talk page. Please do
not remove this message until the dispute is resolved.(November 2011)
Mullaperiyar reservoir
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For Tamil Nadu, Mullaperiyar dam and the diverted Periyar waters act as a lifeline for Theni, Madurai,
Sivaganga and Ramnad Districts, providing water for irrigation, drinking and also for generation of
power in Lower Periyar Power Station. Tamil Nadu has insisted on exercising its unfettered rights to
control the dam and its waters, based on the 1866 lease agreement. Kerala has pointed out the
unfairness in the 1886 lease agreement and has challenged the validity of this agreement. However
safety concerns posed by the 116 year old dam to the safety of the people of Kerala in the event of a
dam collapse, have been the focus of disputes from 2009 onward. Kerala's proposal for
decommissioning the dam and construction of a new dam, has been challenged by Tamil Nadu.
Tamil Nadu has insisted on raising the water level in the dam to 142 feet, pointing out crop failures.
One estimate states that "the crop losses to Tamil Nadu, because of the reduction in the height of the
dam, between 1980 and 2005 is a whopping 40,000 crores. In the process the farmers of the
erstwhile rain shadow areas in Tamil Nadu who had started a thrice yearly cropping pattern had to go
back to the bi-annual cropping." [28]
The Kerala Government maintains that this is not true. During the year 197980 the gross area
cultivated in Periyar command area was 171,307 acres (693.25 km2). After the lowering of the level to
136 ft (41 m), the gross irrigated area increased and in 199495 it reached 229,718 acres
(929.64 km2).[29] The Tamil Nadu government had increased its withdrawal from the reservoir, with
additional facilities to cater to the increased demand from newly irrigated areas.[citation needed]
In 2006, the Supreme Court of India by its decision by a three member division bench, allowed for the
storage level to be raised to 142 feet (43 m) pending completion of the proposed strengthening
measures, provision of other additional vents and implementation of other suggestions.[30]
However, the Kerala Government promulgated a new "Dam Safety Act" against increasing the storage
level of the dam, which has not been objected by the Supreme Court. Tamil Nadu challenged it on
various grounds. The Supreme Court issued notice to Kerala to respond, however did not stay the
operation of the Act even as an interim measure. The Court then advised the States to settle the
matter amicably, and adjourned hearing in order to enable them to do so. The Supreme Court of India
termed the act as not unconstitutional.[31] Meanwhile, the Supreme Court constituted a Constitution
bench to hear the case considering its wide ramifications.[10]
Kerala did not object giving water to Tamil Nadu. Their main cause of objection is the dams safety as it
is as old as 116 years. Increasing the level would add more pressure to be handled by already leaking
dam.[32]Tamil Nadu wants the 2006 order of Supreme court be implemented so as to increase the
water level to 142 feet (43 m).
In 2000Frontlineone author stated thus: "For every argument raised by Tamil Nadu in support of its
claims, there is counter-argument in Kerala that appears equally plausible. Yet, each time the
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controversy gets embroiled in extraneous issues, two things stand out: One is Kerala's refusal to
acknowledge the genuine need of the farmers in the otherwise drought-prone regions of Tamil Nadu
for the waters of the Mullaperiyar; the other is Tamil Nadu's refusal to see that it cannot rely on or
continue to expect more and more from the resources of another State to satisfy its own requirements
to the detriment of the other State. A solution perhaps lies in acknowledging the two truths, but neither
government can afford the political repercussions of such a confession".[33]
Justice A.S. Anand Committee (The Empowered Committee)
On 18 February 2010, the Supreme Court decided to constitute a five-member empowered committee
to study all the issues of Mullaperiyar Dam and seek a report from it within six months.[34] The Bench in
its draft order said Tamil Nadu and Kerala would have the option to nominate a member each, who
could be either a retired judge or a technical expert. The five-member committee will be headed by
former Chief Justice of India A. S. Anand to go into all issues relating to the dam's safety and the
storage level. However, the then ruling party of Tamil Nadu, DMK, passed a resolution that it not only
oppose the apex court's decision to form the five-member committee, but also said that the state
government will not nominate any member to it.[35]
The then Tamil Nadu Chief MinisterM. Karunanidhi said that immediately after the Supreme Court
announced its decision to set up a committee, he had written to Congress president asking the Centre
to mediate between Kerala and Tamil Nadu on Mullaperiyar issue. [36]However, the then Leader of
Opposition i.e., the present Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu J. Jayalalithaaobjected to the TN Government
move. She said that this would give advantage to Kerala in the issue.[37] Meanwhile, Kerala Water
Resources MinisterN. K. Premachandrantold the state Assembly that the State should have the right
of construction, ownership, operation and maintenance of the new dam, while giving water to Tamil
Nadu on the basis of a clear cut agreement. He also informed the media that Former Supreme Court
Judge Mr. K. T. Thomas will represent Kerala on the expert panel constituted by Supreme Court.[38]
On 8 March 2010, Tamil Nadu told the Supreme Court that it was not interested in adjudicating the
dispute with Kerala before the special empowered committee appointed by the apex court for settling
the inter-State issue.[39]However, Supreme Court refused to accept Tamil Nadu's request to scrap the
decision to form the empowered committee. The Supreme Court also criticized the Union Government
on its reluctance in funding the empowered committee.[40]
Implementing directions of the Supreme Court, the Central Government extended the terms of
Empowered Committee for a further period of six months, namely till April 30, 2012.[10]
Construction of a new dam
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Kerala enacted the Kerala Irrigation and Water Conservation (Amendment) Act, 2006to ensure safety
of all 'endangered' dams in the State, listed in the second schedule to the Act. Section 62A of the Act
provides for listing in the schedule, "details of the dams which are endangered on account of their age,
degeneration, degradation, structural or other impediments as are specified".[7][41]The second
schedule to the Act lists Mullaperiyar (dam) constructed in 1895 and fixes 136 feet as its maximum
water level. The Act empowers Kerala Dam Safety Authority(Authority specified in the Act) to oversee
safety of dams in the State and sec 62(e) empowers the Authority to direct the custodian (of a dam) "to
suspend the functioning of any dam, to decommission any dam or restrict the functioning of any dam if
public safety or threat to human life or property, so require". The Authority can conduct periodical
inspection of any dam listed in the schedule.
In pursuance of Kerala's dam safety law declaring Mullaperiyar dam as an endangered dam, in
September 2009, the Ministry of Environment and Forests of Government of India granted
environmental clearance to Kerala for conducting survey for new dam downstream.[42]Tamil Nadu
approached Supreme Court for a stay order against the clearance; however, the plea was rejected.
Consequently, the survey was started in October, 2009. On Sept. 9, 2009 stated it had already
communicated to the Government of India as well as to the Government of Kerala that there is no
need for construction of a new dam by the Kerala Government, as the existing dam after it is
strengthened, functions like a new dam.[10]
Banqiao DamFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Banqiao Reservoir Dam (simplified Chinese:;traditional Chinese:;pinyin:Bnqio ShukDb) is a damon the River
Ru inZhumadian Prefecture, Henan province,China. It infamously failed in 1975, causing more
casualties than any other dam failure in history, and was subsequently rebuilt.
The Banqiao dam and Shimantan Reservoir Dam (simplified Chinese:;traditionalChinese:; pinyin:Shmn tn ShukDb) are among62damsin Zhumadian Prefecture ofChina'sHenan Province that failed catastrophically or wereintentionally destroyed in 1975 during Typhoon Nina.
The dam failure killed an estimated 171,000 people[1]; 11 million people lost their homes. It also caused
the sudden loss of 18 GW of power[citation needed] , the equivalent of roughly 9 very large modern coal fired
power stations or about 20 nuclear reactors, equalling about 1/3 the peak demand on the UK National
Grid.
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Contents
[hide]
1 History
o
1.1 1975 Flood
o 1.2 Casualties
o 1.3 Reconstruction
2 Legacy
3 See also
4 References
5 External links
[edit]History
Approximate location of Banqiao Dam.
The Banqiao dam was begun in April 1951 on the Ru River with the help of Soviet consultants as part
of a project to controlflooding and togenerate electricity. It was a response to severe flooding in
the Huai RiverBasin in 1949 and 1950[2]. The dam was completed on June 1952. Because of the
absence of hydrology data, the design standard was lower than usual. After the 1954Huai Rivergreat
flood, the upstream reservoirs including Banqiao were extended, constructed and consolidated.
Banqiao Dam was increased in height by three meters. The dam crest level was 116.34 meters above
sea level and the crest level of the wave protection wall was 117.64 meter above sea level. The total
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capacity of reservoir was 492 million m (398,000 acre feet), with 375 million m (304,000 acre feet)
reserved forflood storage. The dam was made ofclayand was 24.5 metres high. The maximum
discharge of the reservoir was 1742 m/s.
Cracks in the dam and sluice gates appeared after completion due to construction and engineering
errors. They were repaired with the advice from Sovietengineers and the new design, dubbed the iron
dam, was considered unbreakable.
Chen Xingwas one of China's foremosthydrologists and was involved in the design of the dam. He
was also a vocal critic of the government dam building policy, which involved many dams in the basin.
He had recommended 12 sluice gates for the Banqiao Dam, but this was scaled back to five. Chen
Xing was criticized as being too conservative. Other dams in the project, including the Shimantan
Dam, had a similar reduction of safety features and Chen was removed from the project. In 1961, after
problems with the water system surfaced, he was brought back to help. Chen continued to be an
outspoken critic of the system and was again removed from the project.
[edit]1975 Flood
The Dam was designed to survive a once-in-1000-years flood (300 mm of rainfall per day). In August
1975, however, a once-in-2000-years flood occurred, produced by the collision ofSuper Typhoon
Nina and a cold front. More than a year's rainfall fell in 24 hours (new records were set, at 189.5 mm
rainfall per hour and 1060 mm per day, exceeding the average annual precipitation of about 800 mm),
[3] which weather forecasts failed to predict.[3]China Central Television reported that the typhoon
disappeared from radar.[4]According toXinhua[5], the forecast was for rainfall of 100 mm by the Beijing-
based Central Meteorological Observatory. Communications to the dam was largely lost due to the
collapse of buildings under heavy rain and wire failures. On August 6, a request to open the dam was
rejected, because of the existing flood in downstream areas. On August 7, however, the request was
accepted, but thetelegramsfailed to reach the dam.[6]
The sluice gates were not able to handle the overflow of water, partially due
tosedimentation blockage.[7]On August 7 at 21:30, the People's Liberation Army Unit 34450 (namely
the 2nd Artillery Division in residence at Queshan county), which was deployed on the Banqiao Dam,
sent the first dam failure warning via telegraph. On August 8, 0:30, the smaller Shimantan Dam,
designed to survive a 1-in-500-year flood, failed to handle more than twice its capacity and broke
upstream, only 10 minutes after Unit 34450 sent a request that would open the Banqiao Dam by air
strike. A half hour later, at 1:00, water at the Banqiao crested at the 117.94 m level above sea level, or
0.3 meter higher than the wave protection wall on the dam, and it too failed. This precipitated the
failure of 62 dams in total. The runoff of Banqiao Dam was 13,000 m per second in vs. 78,800 m per
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second out, and 701 million m of water were released in 6 hours, [3]while 1.67 billion m of water were
released in 5.5 hours at upriver Shimantan Dam, and 15.738 billion m of water were released in total.
The resulting flood waters caused a large wave, 10 kilometers (6.2 mi) wide and 37 meters (9.823 ft)
high in Suiping(), to rush onto the plains below at nearly 50 kilometers per hour (31 mph), almost
wiping out an area 55 kilometers (34 mi) long and 15 kilometers (9.3 mi) wide, and creating temporary
lakes as large as 12,000 square kilometers (4,600 sq mi). Seven county seats, Suiping,Xiping (),
Ru'nan(),Pingyu (),Xincai(),Luohe (), Linquan (), were inundated, as were
thousands of square kilometers of countryside and countless communities. Evacuation orders had not
been fully delivered because of weather conditions and poor communications. Telegraphs failed,
signal flares fired by Unit 34450 were misunderstood, telephones were rare, and some messengers
were caught by the flood. While only 827 out of 6,000 people died in the evacuated community of
Shahedian just below Banqiao Dam, half of a total of 36,000 people died in the unevacuated
Wencheng commune of Suipin County next to Shahedian, and the Daowencheng Commune was
wiped from the map, killing all 9,600 citizens.[3] Although a large number of people were reported lost at
first, many of them returned home later. Tens of thousands of them were carried by the water to
downriver provinces and many others fled from their homes. It has been reported that around 90,000 -
230,000 people were killed as a result of the dam breaking.
To protect other dams from failure, several flood diversion areaswere evacuated and inundated, and
several dams deliberately destroyed by air strikes to release water in desired directions. The Nihewa
and Laowangpo flood diversion areas downstream of the dams soon ran out of their capacity and gave
up part of their storage on August 8, forcing more flood diversion area to begin to evacuate. The dikes
on the Quan Rivercollapsed in the evening of August 9, and the entire Linquan county in Fuyang,
Anhuiwas inundated. As the Boshan Dam, with a capacity of 400 million m, crested, and the water
released from the failures of Banqiao and Shimantan was rushing downstream, air strikes were made
against several other dams to protect the Suya Lake dam, already holding 1.2 billion m of water[8].
Suya Lake only won a temporary reprieve, and both it and Boshan became targets as well. Finally, the
Bantai Dam, holding 5.7 billion m of water, was bombed.[9]
The Jingguang Railway, a major artery from Beijingto Guangzhou, was cut for 18 days, as were other
crucial communications lines. Although 42,618 People's Liberation Armytroops were deployed fordisaster relief, all communication to and from the cities was cut. [3]Nine days later there were still over a
million people trapped by the waters, relying onairdrops of food and unreachable to disaster relief.
Epidemics and famine devastated the trapped survivors. The damage of the Zhumadianarea was
estimated to be about RMB3.5 billion (US$513 million)[7]. The Zhumadian government appealed to
the whole nation for help, and received more thanRMB300 million (US$44,000,000) in donations.[10]
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