Online Report : Due to increasing water pressure in Rangamati’s Kaptai Lake, authorities have revised their earlier decision and opened all 16 sluice gates of the dam, releasing 9,000 cusecs of water per second.

Engineer Mahmud Hasan, manager of the Kaptai Hydropower Plant, confirmed that the gates were opened at 12:05 AM on Tuesday.

He said that the current water level of the lake is 108.05 feet. As the water pressure rose significantly overnight, the decision was made to release water from the lake. However, he advised residents in downstream areas not to panic.

Earlier, a decision was made to open the 16 gates by six inches each to release 9,000 cusecs of water per second.

Previously, due to continuous rainfall and mountain runoff from upstream areas, the water level in Kaptai Lake neared the danger mark. To control potential flooding in both upstream and downstream regions, the plant authorities had decided at 3:00 PM on Monday (August 4) to open all 16 gates by six inches. However, that decision was later revised and implemented earlier than planned.

Officials at the hydropower plant stated that due to the rising water levels, the plant is currently generating 219 megawatts of electricity, with all five units fully operational.

Among the units:

Units 1 and 2 are producing 46 MW each, totaling 92 MW.

Unit 3 is producing 47 MW.

Units 4 and 5 are producing 40 MW each, totaling 80 MW.

As a result of electricity generation across the five units, approximately 32,000 cusecs of water are being discharged daily.

The Kaptai Hydropower Plant has a generation capacity ranging from 230 to 245 megawatts.