Kaptai Dam gates closed after water levels eased

After seven days of release, all 16 spillway gates of the Kaptai Dam in Rangamati were closed this (12 August) morning as water levels in Kaptai Lake returned to a manageable range.

The gates were shut at 8am, according to Kaptai Hydroelectric Power Station officials. 

Mahmud Hasan, manager of the Kaptai Hydroelectric Power Station, said the decision to reopen the gates will depend on future changes in water levels."

"With rainfall decreasing, the lake's level is gradually falling, so we have closed the gates," he added.

On 5 August, shortly after midnight, the dam authority opened all 16 gates by six inches each after the lake's water level crossed the danger mark, releasing around 9,000 cusecs of water per second into the Karnaphuli River.

As the inflow pressure increased, the opening height was gradually expanded. The highest discharge was recorded on Thursday (7 August) at 6:30 pm when the gates were opened to 3.5 feet, releasing up to 68,000 cusecs of water per second.

With rainfall decreasing and inflow slowing in recent days, the openings were progressively reduced until they were fully closed today.

Although the spillway gates are now shut, the dam's five power generation units remain in operation, producing between 215 and 220 megawatts of electricity. This requires about 32,000 cusecs of water per second.

This morning, the lake's water level was recorded at 107.05 feet MSL (mean sea level) against its maximum capacity of 109 MSL.