All 16 sluice gates of Kaptai dam shut as water level drops

All 16 sluice gates of the Kaptai Dam at the Karnaphuli Hydroelectric Power Station in Rangamati were closed on Tuesday morning, seven days after opening.

The gates were shut at 8am after the water level of Kaptai Lake dropped below the danger mark, said Mahmud Hasan, manager and engineer of the power station.

At 7am, the lake’s water level stood at 107.06 metres above mean sea level (MSL), said the official, adding that the water level has been steadily declining over the past few days due to a lack of rainfall.

Earlier, at midnight on August 5, all 16 gates were partially opened as the water level reached the lake’s maximum capacity of 109 MSL.

At that time, about 9,000 cusecs of water per second were released into the Karnaphuli River. Continuous rain and upstream flash floods later forced the authorities to increase the gate openings in phases to 1.5 feet, 2.5 feet, and finally 3.5 feet.

This year, the highest recorded water level was 108.84 MSL. The hydro station is currently operating five units by generating 220 MW of electricity for the national grid.

The Kaptai Lake, the country’s largest man-made reservoir, plays a vital role in hydropower generation and flood control in the Chittagong Hill Tracts region.