Kaptai Dam spillway gates to be open today as lake nears danger level
To prevent potential flooding, the gates will be opened by six inches at 3pm today.
Authorities at the Karnafuli Hydroelectric Power Station will partially open 16 spillway gates of the Kaptai Dam this afternoon (4 August) as Kaptai Lake nears its danger level.
As of yesterday evening (3 August), the lake's water level stood at 107 feet Mean Sea Level (MSL), just two feet below the danger mark of 109 feet, according to an emergency notice signed by Mahmud Hasan, superintendent engineer and manager of the Karnafuli Hydroelectric Power Station.
To prevent potential flooding, the gates will be opened by six inches at 3pm today, allowing an estimated 9,000 cusecs of water to be released into the Karnafuli River, it said.
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Mahmud Hasan said, "We have issued prior notices to inform the local community before releasing water. The amount of water to be released will depend on the actual water level at the time."
Currently, the power station is operating five units generating 219 megawatts of electricity, which already discharges around 32,000 cusecs through regular operations.
The notice added that there is no immediate threat of flooding in the surrounding areas but warned that the discharge volume may increase if the water level continues to rise.
