Water Resources Department of Government of Kerala State, India
Online published on 27 April, 2023.
Increased frequency of extreme climatic events indicates climate change. In this paper, we are investigating the role of flood control dams in managing extreme climatic events with a case study of Periyar basin in Kerala. Scientific analysis of Kerala floods in 2018 and 2019 have already proven that these floods were not dam induced. Rather, the role of flood control dams in managing similar extreme events are increasingly recognized. The master plan of Kerala’s Periyar basin, which witnessed extreme flooding in 2018, had proposed two more dams in two different tributaries of this river. However, these dams were-not constructed due to several reasons including the issues of environmental sustainability. Revisiting of-the master plan of Periyar in the context of extreme events is attempted in this paper. It reiterates that-these dams can be constructed and operated without compromising the environmental sustainability and-they can be effective tools for managing extreme floods.
