Fears that Syria's Tishrin Dam may collapse amid rising water levels

The Islamic State has called on communities living east of the Euphrates River in Syria to evacuate their homes, out of fear that the Tishrin Dam that spans the river east of Aleppo might collapse at any moment.

On Saturday, a US-backed alliance of Syrian Kurdish and Arab forces called the Democratic Forces of Syria (DSF) captured the strategic dam from the Islamic State in northern Syria and cut off a supply route for the militant group.

Seizure of the dam has been seen as an important step towards isolating IS strongholds in northern Aleppo with the Tishrin Dam located about 22 kilometres from al-Raqqa, the Islamic State's de-facto capital in Syria.

It is unclear why IS has made those calls or what the reasons for a possible collapse of the dam may be.

But reports have revealed that although the dam has been under DSF control for several days, an IS cell remains hidden in the dam and has planted explosives within its structure which threaten to destroy it, reported Al Jazeera.

Despite such fears, experts say if explosives were to go off, they may damage parts of the dam, but it is unlikely they would completely destroy it, reported Al Jazeera.

Only specific types of explosive emitting a very large blast could destroy a structure as large as the dam, Ibrahim Muslim, an expert on dams told Al Jazeera.

But in case of any leaks from the Tishrin dam, IS would reportedly be forced to open drainage channels in other dams along the Euphrates River, especially those near Raqqa in order to prevent any flooding of nearby villages. 

The Euphrates River, which starts in Turkey and ends in Iraq, passes through Syria. Three dams including the Tishin Dam, the Euphrates Dam and the Baath Dam have been built on it in Syria.

According to DSF sources in northern Aleppo, the Euphrates River, specifically between the border city of Jarablus in the north and the Tishrin Dam in the south, has witnessed a sudden rise in water levels since Monday, reported Al Jazeera. 

The rise in water levels has led to flooding along the eastern shores of the Tishrin Dam, causing many citizens to evacuate their homes. 

While it is unclear why there has been a sudden rise in water levels, the pumping of water out of the dam has ceased because many employees working in the dam fled their posts after the DSF forces took control. 

Tishrin Dam, which has previously been the focus of fighting, is considered a strategic location due to its proximity to the Syrian-Turkish border and its capacity to supply much of northern Syria with electricity

Syrian rebels first captured Tishrin Dam from government troops in December 2012. The dam has been under Islamic State's control since 2014.