All the 16 gates of Kaptai Dam were opened at eight o’clock this Sunday morning. The gates were opened as the Karnaphuli water reached near the limit at the power plant due to continuous rains and the uphill slopes of the Kaptai lake.
At Karnaphuli water power plant in Kaptai, manager ATM Abduzzah said that 9 thousand cusecs of water has been released through this. He said that there is no danger of flooding any area due to this.
Kaptai’s Karnaphuli hydropower plant has a capacity of up to 109 feet, said engineer Abdur Jaher. He told Prothom Alo this morning that it is not possible to keep more water. There is a risk of flooding in other areas. So 6 inches of water i.e. 9 thousand cusecs of water has been released. At this point the water had reached close to 109 feet.
In response to the question whether there is a danger of flooding any new area in the hilly areas due to the opening of all the gates, Abdur Jaher said that there is no question of any new area being flooded. More water has been released than before. If the water was not released now, there would have been a danger of drowning everything in Baghaichhari upazila.
According to local and Karnaphuli hydropower plant sources, the water in the Kaptai lake is increasing abnormally as the water from the hill slopes caused by the continuous rains has started to recede. The lake has risen at least 9 feet in the last 5 days. Due to this, the Karnaphuli hydroelectric power station has reached the limit.
The flood situation has improved somewhat in the eastern part of the country as the rain has receded. Water has started coming down in many places. However, the situation is still bad in many upazilas of Feni, Noakhali, Comilla. Among them, at least 100,000 people are trapped in the rural areas of Feni. The mobile phone network was not working well in the flood-affected areas of Feni till Saturday evening. As a result, there was no clear idea about the actual situation there. According to the government, about 1 million families are trapped in flood-affected areas.
There is a shortage of dry food and fresh water in flood affected areas. In many places volunteers are unable to reach with relief.
According to the government, 18 people have died in the country till yesterday evening due to floods. Among them, 5 people died in Chittagong, 4 in Comilla, 3 in Noakhali, 3 in Cox’s Bazar, 1 in Brahmanbaria, 1 in Feni and 1 in Lakshmipur.