Theni:
The nine holes drilled in Mullaperiyar dam to assess its core stability would be plugged in a week using Japanese technology, officials said in Theni today.
They said a concrete and jelly mixture will be fed into the holes using high hydraulic pressure, the same Japanese technology used to drill them. Kerala government officials were also present when work was going on, they said.
The drilling had created a furore with Tamil Nadu charging Kerala with preventing it from closing them. Kerala later granted permission, saying it was doing so as the state's need to examine the dam for which the holes were drilled was over.
The two states are locked in a dispute over raising water level in the dam, which irrigates five southern districts in Tamil Nadu. While Kerala has been pressing for a new dam to replace the existing century old structure on safety grounds, Tamil Nadu has opposed it and moved the Supreme Court
Abbas and S Pandian, President and secretary of the five district farmers' association, said the dam engineers had told them the technology was very impressive and could take care of all seepages and that it would become stronger now.
Meanwhile a team of advocates from Tamil Nadu, led by Advocate General Navaneetha Krishnan, visited the dam along with the engineers, officials said.
The engineers had yesterday explained to the team about the technology used to plug the holes.