With water levels in Kaptai Lake continuing to rise, authorities opened all 16 spillway gates of the Kaptai Karnaphuli Hydropower Station by 3.5 feet from 6pm on Thursday.
As a result, approximately 68,000 cusecs of water per second is now being discharged from the lake into the Karnaphuli River, said Mahmud Hasan, executive engineer and manager of the hydropower station
The lake’s water level was recorded at 108.83 feet Mean Sea Level (MSL) at 6pm—just below its maximum capacity of 109 feet MSL and above the danger mark, he said.
The water level had been rising rapidly due to continuous rainfall and upstream runoff from the hills, said the official.
“We initially opened all 16 gates by 6 inches at 12:05am on August 5. Later, we gradually increased the openings to 1.5 feet, then 2.5 feet, 3 feet, and finally to 3.5 feet by Thursday evening,” he added.
