Rangamati, Aug 31 (V7N) — Water levels in Kaptai Lake in Rangamati have been rising rapidly due to a surge of water flowing down from the upstream hills, inundating low-lying areas and settlements along the lake. To control the situation, authorities have gradually increased the opening of all 16 spillway gates at the Kaptai Hydroelectric Power Station. The gates were opened to 3 feet each at 10:00am on Sunday, allowing around 58,000 cubic feet of water per second (cusecs) to flow into the Karnaphuli River through the spillway.

Earlier on Sunday, at 6:45am, the 16 spillway gates had been raised by another one foot, bringing the total opening to 2 feet. At that time, around 39,000 cusecs of water was being discharged through the gates. The first phase of water release began on Saturday, when all 16 gates were opened by 6 inches each. Later, at 10:35pm, the opening was increased to 1 foot, resulting in the discharge of around 18,000 cusecs of water.

Mahmud Hasan, manager and supervising engineer of the Karnaphuli Hydroelectric Power Station, told reporter Alamgir Manik that all 16 spillway gates are currently open by 3 feet each, releasing around 58,000 cusecs of water.

At the same time, all five generating units of the power station are operational. The five units are releasing around 32,000 cusecs of water while generating 222 megawatts of electricity.

According to the latest information provided by the authorities, around 58,000 cusecs of water is being discharged through the 16 spillway gates and another 32,000 cusecs through the five generating units. As a result, a total of around 90,000 cusecs of water per second is currently flowing from Kaptai Lake into the Karnaphuli River through the two routes.

Mahmud Hasan said the current water level of Kaptai Lake stands at 106.20 feet above mean sea level (MSL), while the lake's danger level is 109 feet MSL.

Although the water level remains below the danger mark, it had been rising rapidly due to the inflow of water from the upstream hills. The gates were therefore opened gradually to ease pressure on the reservoir and reduce the risk of further inundation in low-lying areas along the lake.

Meanwhile, officials said there had been no significant rainfall in the area on Saturday. They expect the lake's water level to fall rapidly as the volume of water being discharged has been increased.

The rising water level in Kaptai Lake has already inundated several low-lying areas, homes and croplands along the lake in different parts of Rangamati. Many residents have become stranded by the water, while the sudden rise in the lake level has caused concern among local communities.

Authorities said the decision to increase the gate openings was taken to accelerate water discharge, taking into consideration the suffering of people stranded in low-lying settlements and potential damage to croplands. Once the situation returns to normal and water recedes from inundated residential and agricultural areas, the gate openings will be reduced gradually.

However, as a large volume of water is being released into the Karnaphuli River through the Kaptai Dam spillway, residents living along the riverbanks have been advised to remain alert. People living in low-lying areas around Kaptai Lake have also been advised to monitor the situation closely and remain prepared to move to safer locations if necessary.

During the monsoon season, the water level of Kaptai Lake can rise rapidly due to heavy rainfall and inflows from the upstream hills. In such circumstances, the spillway gates of the Kaptai Dam are opened to discharge excess water into the Karnaphuli River, helping to control pressure on the reservoir and reduce the risk of flooding in low-lying areas and settlements along its shores.

END/AMR/SMA/