With the Supreme Court deciding to consider petitions seeking lowering of the water level in the Mullaperiyar dam and that relating to construction of a new tunnel, the Mullaperiyar dam row appears set to dominate public debate in Kerala for months to come.

The ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) has its task cut out once the copy of the Empowered Committee report becomes available to it: it should go back to the basics of the issue and come up with arguments that will place the committee's inferences and recommendations and see how best it can defend Kerala's case before the apex court.