Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala's Mullaperiyar Dam dispute with Tamil Nadu has taken a new turn with the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (IIT-D) saying that the dam would be 'Hydrologically Unsafe' in the event of heavy rainfall.

The Government of Kerala had asked a team of experts from the apex institute to study the dam's Probable Maximum Flood (PMF) water level.

The study said that, "The maximum probable rainfall in two days in the catchment area of the dam is about 65 cms, while the PMF recorded is 2,91,275 cusecs. If the catchment area receives heavy rainfall, the PMF level of water in the dam could go up to 158 feet which is more than the maximum level allowed. This would result into collapsing of its walls and consequent flooding."

The 111-year old Mullaperiyar Dam, located in Kerala's Idukki district, is operated by Tamil Nadu. The dispute between the two states arose after Tamil Nadu demanded the increasing of storage level of the dam to 152 feet. Kerala, however, opposed that an increase in the storage level would risk the thickly-populated districts downstream. It then proposed the setting up a new dam on the site.

Kerala Water Resources Minister, N.K. Premachandaran said, "We needed an expert opinion from a recognized institution. The findings of the study justify our demands of construction of a new dam on the site".

The team of experts from IIT-Delhi comprised of Prof. A.K. Gosain, Prof. Subhash Chander and Prof. George Paul.