Mullaperiyar security issue: Tamil Nadu files status report in Supreme Court
Tamil Nadu: The government has filed a status report with the Supreme Court, stating that steps have been taken to conduct a complete dam safety audit of the Mullaperiyar Dam.
This status report was filed in a Tamil Nadu case alleging that Kerala is obstructing the maintenance and strengthening of the Mullaperiyar Dam. In the status report dated February 23, 2026, the Tamil Nadu government stated:
The Tamil Nadu government has filed this status report in accordance with the Supreme Court’s order of July 31, 2025, in the Mullaperiyar case.
Although the Supreme Court delivered its judgments on February 27, 2006, and May 7, 2014, allowing Tamil Nadu to take steps to strengthen the Mullaperiyar Dam, the judgments could not be implemented due to Kerala’s obstruction. Orders issued by the Supreme Court from time to time, especially those related to strengthening the Baby Dam and Main Dam, have not been implemented due to the Kerala government’s obstructive attitude.
Permission to cut trees in the dam area is still pending. This delays the strengthening work on the Baby Dam and Main Dam, as ordered by the Supreme Court in its judgments of February 27, 2006, and May 7, 2014.
Based on a scan of the Main Dam’s frontage in 2011, the Supreme Court ordered maintenance of the frontage as per its judgment of May 7, 2014. However, due to the Kerala government’s obstructive attitude, this has not been implemented yet. Sandblasting to strengthen the dam is a regular maintenance work.
This has already been pending for decades. The Kerala government has not yet granted the necessary permits to transport materials and machinery for the work.
As decided in the fourth meeting of the new Monitoring Committee held on 10.11.2025, the Tamil Nadu government, in its letter dated 01.12.2025, recommended the formation of an expert committee to assess the overall safety of the dam. Subsequently, the National Dam Safety Authority informed the Independent Expert Committee on 06.01.2026 that steps have been taken to assess the overall safety of the Mullaperiyar Dam.
In this situation, the Tamil Nadu government stated in its status report that Kerala should be directed to implement the Supreme Court’s decisions of 27.02.2006 and 07.05.2014, and the guidelines and procedures of the newly constituted Monitoring Committee, within the time limit.
Amidst the dam safety concerns raised by Kerala, the Supreme Court delivered important judgments on February 27, 2006, and May 7, 2014, regarding the Mullaperiyar Dam dispute.
In a 2006 decision, the Supreme Court permitted Tamil Nadu to raise the water level in the Mullaperiyar Dam from 136 feet to 142 feet. Based on an expert panel’s assessment of the water level, structure, and earthquake risk factors, the Supreme Court declared the dam safe. The Supreme Court also permitted Tamil Nadu to take steps to strengthen the dam and ordered full cooperation from Kerala.
Subsequently, the Kerala government passed the Kerala Irrigation and Water Conservation (Amendment) Act, 2006, on March 18, 2006. This prohibited raising the water level in the Mullaperiyar Dam beyond 136 feet and listed it as a critical dam.
