Expats fear for families living near Kerala dam

Expatriates from the South Indian state of Kerala, especially people from the four districts of Idukki, Kottayam, Alappuzha, Thrissur and Ernamkulam, lying close to the shaky Mullapperiyar Dam on the Periyar River, are worried about the safety of their families back home and community members are actively discussing the possible consequences of the collapse of the 116-year-old dam.

The shaky dam has been like a ticking time bomb for the people living in Idukki district, home to all the major and minor dams in Kerala state. All political parties and social activists in Kerala are overtly supporting the campaign for a new dam, while the government of neighbouring Tamil Nadu state is against building a new dam. Fears have risen after a few minor earthquakes were reported from the dam’s adjacent areas and the release of ‘Dam 999’, a movie on the collapse of the old dam, which was built by the British colonial government way back in 1895.

Social networking web sites, radio stations, community associations and the Indian media in the Gulf are preoccupied with the dam story and the impact of a possible dam collapse that can spread havoc along the banks of the river Periyar. Expatriate associations estimate that roughly four million Keralites will be directly affected if the Mullapperiyar dam collapses, causing a domino effect which will damage three other minor reservoirs that may not be able to hold the surplus water released from Mullapperiyar and huge mass of trees, sand and other objects released in case of a dam collapse.