Vaiko calls for protection to be accorded to Mullaperiyar Dam

Chennai : Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) general secretary Vaiko on Saturday called for protection to be accorded to the Mullaperiyar Dam on the Periyar River, claiming that the Kerala government wants to destroy it. “The Kerala government and all Kerala parties want to demolish the Mullaperiyar Dam which provides solace to lakhs of people in Tamil Nadu. The Tamil Nadu Police or the CISF should be given responsibility to protect the dam,” Vaiko said. The dam is located in Kerala but supplies water to drought-prone areas of Tamil Nadu under a lease lasting for 999 years. However, Kerala has called for a new dam to be built, claiming that the existing structure is old and vulnerable to those living downstream, while Tamil Nadu reportedly fears that a new dam would mean that it would be forced to accept a smaller supply of water.