Kaptai Lake Water Level Rising, 16 Spillway Gates Opened Again

Due to a rapid rise in the water level of Kaptai Lake in Rangamati, all 16 spillway gates of the Kaptai Hydroelectric Power Plant dam have been reopened. Water discharge commenced on Friday (September 11) at 8:00 AM, with each gate opened by 6 inches. The lake’s water level currently stands at 105.51 feet Mean Sea Level (MSL).

Engineer Mr. Mahmud Hasan, Manager of the Kaptai Hydroelectric Power Plant, stated that the gates were reopened as a precautionary measure to manage the swift inflow of water. He added that the spillway gates will be closed once the water level recedes to 105 feet MSL.

Earlier, continuous rainfall and upstream mountain runoff caused a sudden rise in Kaptai Lake’s water level starting August 29. At that time, the 16 spillway gates were initially opened by 6 inches to release approximately 9,000 cusecs of water into the Karnaphuli River. As the water level continued to rise, the opening of the gates was gradually increased to a maximum of 3 feet, discharging nearly 58,000 cusecs of water per second.

Following a reduction in the water level to 104.98 feet MSL, all 16 gates were closed on September 6 at 9:00 PM. However, within a span of just a few days, the water level rose again to 105.51 feet MSL. Authorities noted that the maximum holding capacity of Kaptai Lake is 109 feet MSL. The controlled release of water was initiated as an advance precautionary measure to relieve pressure on the dam structure and mitigate the risk of flooding in shoreline areas.