THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala has called for the immediate intervention of national political parties to save the lives of lakhs of people living downstream of the Mullaperiyar dam in the state.The state also reiterated its offer to construct a new dam on its own and provide water which is due to Tamil Nadu as per the existing agreement and made it clear that the state was ready to acccept the mediation by any party to settle the dispute between the two states.Water Resources Minister P J Joseph told reporters here on Wednesday that it is time for Tamil Nadu to shed its adamant stance on Mullaperiyar issue and cooperate for the construction of a new dam, considering the recurring tremors in the Idukki region and its likely impact on the more-than-a-century-old structure.“The state is ready for any kind of agreement with Tamil Nadu. Kerala does not need even a single drop of water from what is due to Tamil Nadu. The water level has to be brought down immediately from 136 ft to 120 ft in the new circumstance. Let Tamil Nadu take all the water at that level and store in its territory,’’ he said. “We are ready to give such a guarantee to the Centre as well as the Supreme Court,’’ the Minister said. Joseph said that no disaster management will be effective if a breach occurrs in the Mullaperiyar dam.“It is a question of the lives of nearly 30 lakh people of the downstream of Idukki, Ernakulam and Alappuzha districts,” he said.
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