Heavy rain swells Kaptai Lake, 16 dam gates opened

Authorities have opened 16 spillway gates of the Kaptai Dam after the water level in Kaptai Lake rose due to continuous rainfall and upstream hill runoff.

The spillway gates were opened around 11:30am on Saturday (July 18), according to officials at the Karnafuli Hydropower Station.

Before the release, the lake's water level stood at 104.09 feet mean sea level (MSL). The danger level is 108 feet MSL, while the lake's maximum storage capacity is 109 feet MSL.

Karnafuli Hydropower Station Manager Mahmud Hasan said each of the 16 gates has been opened by six inches, allowing approximately 9,000 cusecs of water per second to flow from Kaptai Lake into the Karnaphuli River.

In addition, the hydropower station's five generating units are releasing another 32,000 cusecs per second through electricity generation, bringing the total discharge into the Karnaphuli River to 41,000 cusecs per second.