This story is from September 16, 2014

Chemical test on seepage water

The Supreme Court-appointed joint inspection committee on Mullaperiyar dam on Monday decided to conduct chemical test of the samples of seepage water from the over 115-year-old dam.
Chemical test on seepage water
KOCHI: The Supreme Court-appointed joint inspection committee on Mullaperiyar dam on Monday decided to conduct chemical test of the samples of seepage water from the over 115-year-old dam.
The decision was taken by the committee members after visiting the dam following complaints from Kerala that the level of water seepage was rising fast. However, the committee felt that there was no reason for panic at this stage.
The chemical analysis is expected to track whether any leak of surkhi (finely powdered burnt clay that was used by mixing with sand, lime and egg yolk in the construction of the dam) is occurring now. "If surkhi is leaking in a significant way, it is a serious issue as it could indicate a weakening of the dam,'' said V J Kurien, the Kerala representative in the committee.
According to Kerala officials, the seepage from the dam is found to be increasing in the last two weeks, reaching 90.396 litres/minute on Monday. This marks an increase of 20 litres/minute in the flow of water in the last 15 days, said an official at the dam site.
Kurien said the Tamil Nadu representative in the committee had agreed to provide the data on the past seepage levels from the dam as demanded by Kerala. Tamil Nadu was declining to provide the data earlier. Kerala officials had agreed to find an office to house the committee and Tamil Nadu will pay its rent.
The next meeting of the three-member committee, which has one representative each from Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Central Water Commission, will be held on October 20. The water level in the dam rose to 132.9ft on Monday.
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