Rising water forces opening of 16 sluice gates at Kaptai Lake

The water level of Kaptai Lake has once again reached the danger mark, prompting authorities to open 16 sluice gates of the Kaptai Dam at 8:08pm on Wednesday (August 20).

Each gate was opened by 6 inches, releasing approximately 9,000 cusecs of water per second into the Karnaphuli River.

Mahmud Hasan, manager of the Kaptai Hydropower Plant, confirmed the decision was made due to continuous heavy rainfall, upstream flooding, and mountain runoff over the past few days.

This marks the second time this year the gates have been opened.

In addition to the sluice gate discharge, the plant’s five operational units are currently generating 220 to 222 megawatts of electricity, releasing an additional 32,000 cusecs of water per second into the Karnaphuli River. As of 5 pm Wednesday, the lake’s water level stood at 108.35 feet MSL, just below the maximum capacity of 109 feet MSL.

Earlier, all sluice gates had been opened on August 5 due to rising water levels and remained open for seven days. They were closed on August 12 after conditions stabilized, but renewed pressure has forced another release.