Kottayam: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee says it has the competence to conduct a feasibility study for a new dam on Mullaperiyar.
Dr S.K. Misra, the head of its department of the water resources management and development, said they would be able to complete the study within six months.It expressed the interest in the wake of the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change giving the nod to go ahead with the feasibility study.
Dr Mishra, who conducted the dam break analysis in 2012, said it needed the topographical survey and hydrological survey of minimum two lean seasons and one flood season data for small hydro-electrical projects.
The geological investigations involve the drilling at critical locations like the dam, the intake structure, the power plant equipment and power evacuation, an estimation of the construction programmes and materials, financial evaluation and environmental impact assessment and other procedures.The construction of a new dam is ideal in the context of the Mullaperiyar dam completing 123 years, he said.
As per its dam break analysis, the water level downstream the Mullaperiyar would rise by 40.30 m, and in Idukki dam, which is about 36 km away, it would go up to 20.85 m, if anything adverse happens.
It says about the possibility of the 'over-topping mode of failure for the dam which is reasonable for dam break flood generation'.The structural stability analysis of the dam in 2009 conducted by D.K. Paul of its department of earthquake engineering had found that the dam and its baby dam are supposed to sustain damages in an earthquake leading to its failure.
