The aftermath of Mullaperiyar disaster

Most of the people think that the Mullaperiyar dam collapse, if it happens, will only affect Kerala and some parts of Tamil Nadu. But the real case will be beyond the imagination. These are what can be happened to Kerala and South India if the Mullaperiyar Dam is left to collapse.

The Kerala state will loss almost one third of its land. The state will be divided into two geographical parts what will change the shape of India as well. The five districts of Kerala namely Idukki, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Alappuzha and Pathanamthitta will be washed away and it will also take some parts of Thrissur as well. Kochi, India's one of the most emerging cities and the industrial capital of Kerala, will become a history.

If Mullaperiyar breaks, the water will rush to the other small dams. That will cause the collapse of those dams and the situation become even worse. The water will wash away the paddy fields, factories, hospitals, churches, temples, mosques, shops, transportation, Kochi airport and many more. It is expected that more than 35 lakhs people will lose their lives. That is one tenth of the total population of Kerala. And immeasurable no of other living organisms including animals, birds and plants will be erased from earth. The flaura and fauna of these places includes many endangered species also. The balance of nature will get broken. Some of the most beautiful places and landscapes will not be there anymore. Agriculture, industries and all will be lost.

The water from Mullaperiyar will flow to Idukki dam with great speed. The high pressure might result in the damage of Idukki dam also. The Idukki hydro power plant might get disposed. That will lead Kerala to great power scarcity. There will have no electricity for months, maybe years. Kerala will fall into darkness. Television, Internet, Communication and all will get disposed.
More than five western districts of Tamil Nadu use the water from Mullaperiyar for irrigation, drinking and other purposes. If the dam collapses, there will be no water for these districts and it will lead the people to a terrible situation. The agriculture and life will be in trouble. The food production will be stopped, the prices of vegetables and food will rocket and inflation will be skyhigh rate.

The Kochi sea port will be erased from the world map forever. The Vallarpadam container terminal would become a history. The South Indian industry will have to depend on the nearest port, ie Colombo for the needs. That will raise the costs and will result in the increase in prices of the imported products. The major part of petroleum products for South India and a small part for other areas are refined in the Cochin Refineries. The refineries will get washed away, making TamilNadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh find other options for Petroleum refining. That will be more expensive, and naturally petroleum price will rise. It will affect the economy too.

The under water sea cable that connects India to rest of the world via Internet starts from Kochi. It is the only place with such facility now. If that gets damaged in the Mullaperiyar disaster, the IT network all over India, especially South India will get disrupted. The significant part of Routers that forwards data packets between computer networks, are placed at Kochi. The many routers and connectors of US company CISCO are at Kakkanad. Those all will get floated away in the water from Mullaperiyar. The internet connection from even metros like Bangalore, Chennai and other cities will not be possible then for months.
The disaster will be almost 200 times dreadful than Hiroshima disaster. The damage worth billions of billons Rupees will be done. The economy of the country will face huge danger.

All these facts are not just avoidable. Some of these facts are even unknown to many people. These data clearly indicate that the Mullaperiyar issue should not concern Kerala only. It is not just a matter of dispute between two states. It is a national affair and should be treated likewise. The anxiety should be alleviated by rebuilding the Mullaperiyar dam.