Kaptai Dam

The Karnaphuli Reservoir ( also Karnaphuli or Kaptai Dam ) is the largest dam with the only hydroelectric power plant in Bangladesh. The construction of the dam, the river Karnaphuli was dammed to a large reservoir. It lies in the southeast of the country in the district of Rangamati Kaptai, near the village, about 65 km upstream from Chittagong.

Benefit

The main purpose of the dam is flood control and hydropower generation. The hydroelectric power plant has an electrical output of 230 megawatts. Secondary purposes are fishing, navigation and irrigation.

Reservoir

The lake is shaped like an H and has two arms unite at the Shubalong Gorge. Several rivers flow into the lake next to the Karnaphuli. These are: Mayni, Kasalong, Chengi and Rinkhyong. The average depth is about 9 m ( depending on the actual content and surface a little more or less); the greatest depth is 32 m.

Shut-off

The dam is 670 meters from Erdschüttmaterial long, 45.7 meters high and has a spillway with 16 holes on the left side of the main dam. The construction took six years until the inauguration on 30 March 1962.

Disadvantages of the reservoir

Due to the reservoir 655 km ² area were flooded. The area is given elsewhere with 583 or 680 km ². This includes 220 km ² cultivable land, which is 40 % of the cultivable land in the area. 18 000 families and 100,000 natives had to be relocated and were not compensated. Of these, 70% were from the tribe of Chakma. More than 40,000 Chakma emigrated to India. Due to the lack of arable land there is conflict in the area. The reservoir flooded among other things, the city of Rangamati. Also on flora and fauna of the reservoir had negative consequences.

Because the vegetation disappears around the lake, created erosion and consequently landslides, which can gradually silt up the lake. In the 1990s, the dam had already lost 25% of its storage content.