130-Year-Old Dam Indian Dam Straining Under Pressure Of A Whole New Climate; 75,000 In Path Of Possible Flood
THEKKADY, India — Deep in the mountains, shrouded by dense forests and tropical mists, the Mullaperiyar lurks like a creature from legend. Few locals have seen the massive dam that was erected here 130 years ago, plugging one of South India’s most important rivers. But nearly everyone who lives within 100 miles knows its power.
To the east, in the farmland of Tamil Nadu, the Mullaperiyar is sacred. Via a tunnel that winds beneath the surrounding mountains, the dam provides drinking water to millions of people, and its reservoir irrigates hundreds of thousands of acres of fruit orchards and rice paddies. When seasonal rains fail, and the red soil turns cracked and dusty under a blistering sun, the dam ensures that water still flows through pipes and fills up wells. “Mullaperiyar is my life,” said Salethu Innaci, 66, a farmer in the village of T Sindalacherry. “If someone said die for Mullaperiyar, I would.”
But to the west, in remote communities tucked among Kerala’s hills, the Mullaperiyar is a monster. When heavy monsoon rains fill the reservoir, forcing excess water to be released into the Periyar river, these areas often flood. Locals live in terror that the century-old structure — built without advanced engineering techniques or modern concrete — may one day collapse, unleashing an almighty torrent that obliterates thousands of homes. “When the water level rises, we can’t sleep,” said Nabeesa Moosa, a 65-year-old day laborer who lives on the banks of the Periyar, a few miles below the dam. “We hold our lives in our hands.”
The dispute between these two Indian states has raged for decades. But increasingly extreme weather, supercharged by climate change, is raising the stakes like never before.
EDIT
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2025/12/16/flooding-rainfall-india-dam/
https://wapo.st/4aS9ZT0
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