environment

Honb'le Prime Minister of India, Greetings to you. May grace and peace be yours in abundance through knowledge of the Omnipotent. I pray for your good health and happy long life. I write this petition with great anguish,utmost disappointment and agony. I am  residing with my family consisting of my wife and children along with 4 millions of people and a million of migrated laborers from  all over India beneath a more than century old dam consisting of 15 TMC water spreading over 4668 Acres of land- The Mullaperiyar Dam! A  case of constant tussle and litigation is ongoing for many years between the Governments of Kerala and Tamil Nadu causing regular tension between the people in a Federal structure of national entity. Politicians of the two provinces are playing over the petty sentiments of the people for gaining electoral advantages.The 152 feet reservoir of the dam is thus a Political matter for the concerned, but the facts are beyond the scope of petty Politics of Provincialism. This is a case of ecological, economical, human disaster. Not only human, the entire flora and fauna is to perish in the part of the World if the dam is to continue without any move to rectify the risks involved. Due to the disaster waiting in the wings more than a lakh of people between the dam and the Idukki reservoir 40km below the dam, more than 40 lakhs of people in the lower reaches  of Periyar, Azhutha, Meenachilar, Pamba and Manimalayar rivers spreading over 5 districts will be drowned causing not only loss of millions of lives of human and animal population but also precious housing properties and agriculture fields placing a total loss amounting to billions and billions of rupees. As everybody know, this dam has been constructed on an unusual agreement of 999 years(10 centuries). This contract was made in between the Secretary of State under British and the King, His Highness the Visakham Thirunal Marthandavarma,the then King of Travancore, the vassal state under the British. All agreements made by the British are either nullified or cancelled immediately after Independence. Unfortunately, the slavery of people of Kerala in this regard is continuing even after the Independence. The dam is more than a century old and sick. No dam in the world is old as this dam. Other dams constructed contemporary to the Mullaperiyar Dam is either demolished or decommissioned. This dam was constructed using Lime Surky concrete which is 6 times inferior than the present M30 concrete used for construction. Already a good portion of lime has been washed away. There is leakage at the surface and gallery of the Dam. A leakage is found in between the 17th and 18th block. The Legislative Sub Committee has examined the dam and found that there is leakage between 10th and 11th block of the dam. The quantity of the seepage water is increasing day by day. A severe damage was found in the masonry structure at 95 to 106 door from the base of the dam. Apart from innumerable patholes, crevices and other openings that are visible on the surface of the Dam, the masonry cover provided at the upstream portion of the Dam has undergone a crushing between 95 to 106 foot through the entire length of the Dam.The damage that the dam has undergone in between the above noted elevation is so severe that no rectification can save the Dam from a disaster.More importantly no technology has developed in the whole world to perfectly strengthen a dam which is old and deteriorating. Therefore the strengthening works done has actually weakened the dam. Considering all these, the report relied by the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India in the Mullaperiyar Dam case is misguiding, unscientific and baseless. It is most pertinent to note that the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India has appreciated the apprehensions of the people through an order in the writ petition filed by the Adv. Russel Joy in which the Prime Minister of India is the first Respondent. It is significant to note the dangerous situation going to be faced by the people in 5 districts of Tamil Nadu. If the dam bursts, the fate of these people would be severe that no could imagine. After the collapse, construction of a new dam is not at all possible under the present laws.The laws are changed and it became so progressive than the laws prevailed at the time of construction of the Mullaperiyar Dam. So the situation of the people of Tamil Nadu will be more worse than the situation prior to the construction of the Dam. Under the aforementioned facts and keeping in mind the well being of the people of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, I humbly appeal appeal to the Hon'ble Prime Minister to urgently interfere in this matter to rectify the evil of the British immediately by an order in consensus with the State of Kerala and the State of Tamil Nadu for the construction of a new dam which will bring back the safety of people of Kerala and water to our neighboring State.   

Mullaperiyar dam was built by the  Britishers 116 years back in kerala.A treaty was signed between the Madras state and king of Travancore to share water to tamilnadu.It was signed for a period of 999 years.According to the builder who built this, The life expectancy of dam was around 70 years and now it has crossed 116 years.The concern has given rise to a protest few years back saying some drastic decision has to be taken to save this dam.But like any other cases it just faded away after few days and supreme Court ruled out kerala's stand and allowed Tamil Nadu to increase the level of water.If something happens to this dam,3 districts of Kerala will be wiped out and around 3 million people will be erased from the face of the Earth.If such a catastrophe strike who will be answerable.Every other indian will be showing their sorry faces and everyone will countinue their life as nothing happend.Everyone will post their condolences in social media and same old story will repeat.But that won't compensate for the loss of 3 million people.Either we have to start acting now or wait and watch for the event that will be known as the biggest catastrophe in 21st century and Indians can be proud that a disaster that took lives of 3 million people belonged to India.

Mullaiperiyar Dam is a masonry gravity dam on the Periyar River in the Indian state of Kerala. It is located 881 m (2,890 ft) above mean sea level, on the Cardamom Hills of the Western Ghats in Thekkady, Idukki District of Kerala, South India. It was constructed between 1887 and 1895 by John Persnickety and also reached in an agreement to divert water eastwards to the Madras Presidency area (present-day Tamil Nadu). It has a height of 53.6 m (176 ft) from the foundation, and a length of 365.7 m (1,200 ft). The dam was constructed using stone rubble masonry with lime mortar grouting following prevailing 19th-century construction techniques that have now become archaic, seepage and leaks from the dam have caused concern. Moreover, the dam is situated in a seismically active zone. An earthquake measuring 4.5 on the Richter scale occurred on 7 June 1988 with maximum damage in Nedumkandam and Kallar (within 20 km of the dam). Subsequently, several tremors have occurred in the area in recent times. These could be reservoir-induced seismicity, requiring further studies according to experts. A 2009 report by IIT Roorkee stated that the dam "was likely to face damage if an earthquake of the magnitude of 6.5 on the Richter scale struck its vicinity when the water level is at 136 feet". There are serious violations on the safety aspects of the dam in terms of seismological safety,hydrological safety and environmental safety. The dam has been under-designed because at the time of its construction cement was not available and hence neither a masonry dam in cement mortar nor a concrete dam with cement mortar could be built to ensure better safety standards. The old methods of constructionfollowed about a century ago enabled the engineers to use only surkhi mortor with lime, sandand rubble stone was used for the construction of the dam. Since the dam was under-designedand with poor materials of construction it is bound to collapse due to aging also. Moreover themagnitude of peak floods to be used for the spillway design was based upon rough estimateswhich do not confirm to the modern estimates of extreme floods as recommended by experts ofthe International committee on large dams Even the seismic potential was under- estimatedHence there are abundant chances for the dam to collapse and such an accident will result inthe death of about 36,00000 people living downstream and the wiping off of many towns and cities which include Kochi city as well.  Consequently the people of Kerala living downstream of the dam are vociferously demanding for the implementation of dam review policies followed for evaluation of safety of the existing dams and take remedial actions to protect the lives of the people and their properties. But there is no unanimousagreement on this subject of dam safety between Kerala, Tamil Nadu and the Union Governmentand this as resulted in a controversy on the safety of the dam. People of  Kerala is demanding for the removal of the existing aged and decaying damon the plea that its inevitable collapse within the near future will result in an avoidable manmade disaster like the Bhopal tragedy in India and the Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan. Due to this disaster waiting in the wings,  more than a lakh of people between the dam and theIddukki reservoir 40km below the dam more than 35 lakhs of people in the lower reaches ofPeriyar river upto Ernakulam-Cochin belt will be drowned causing not only loss of millions oflives and property.   We request the Prime Minister of India, Sri Narendra Modi to intervene in this matter as fast as possible and save our lives. We believe that you have the capability to do this for us.  I am drafting this petition from the middle of the Kerala floods 2019, and we cannot even think of a possible dam-break. I urge all fellow citizens of India to sign this petition and share it to save our lives. References  https://www.indiawaterportal.org/sites/indiawaterportal.org/files/dam_break_analysis_of_mullaperiyar_dam_prof._shivaji_rao_2014.pdf https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullaperiyar_Dam http://jamewils.blogspot.com/

Pune is one of the fastest growing cities in India. With a population of more than 31.2 lakhs(2011 census), the city is fast becoming a concrete jungle and is loosing its green cover at a rate faster than ever. Colonel (Retd) Shashikant Dalvi, city based environmentalist says that at least eight trees are required per person every year to provide oxygen and Pune currently has only one tree per person. Concrete structures are destroying the green canopy that Pune. The city has always had ample green cover and maintained a fine balance between development and safeguarding natural habitats. If the government takes decisions that could hamper this balance it is unacceptable. It is very disheartening to witness the local civic administration blatantly depleting the green cover of our city that we were once proud of.  In the name of development the PMC has developed few gardens but planting exotic trees and plants does little for the natural ecosystem and the biodiversity of the region. Taljai hill comprises of one such ecosystem which needs to be preserved. We can have an ecosystem of variety of species of birds and insects only if there are trees native to the ecosystem and the region. A bird never makes a nest or lays eggs on exotic foreign species of a tree however beautiful it may be.  PMC has been doing good work in the direction for almost a decade and through various tree plantation programmes and with the help of local corporators and involment of local citizens and citizen groups, we had planted a few thousnad of such native trees from the taxpayers money.  Now in the name of development, the same PMC is trying to cut the same trees for building a Parking facility. PMC has already cut down a few trees for making the cricekt playground. If the environment is to be protected, we must work towards planting more trees and protecting them while discouraging use of vehicles. This parking facility would do exactly opposite. Please stop this Destruction of the enviornment and save our Taljai Hills.  #SAVETALJAIHILLS. Yours Faithful, A Punekar.