Kaptai Lake

Kaptai Lake, Rangamati
Kaptai Lake, Rangamati
	Kaptai Lake, Rangamati
Location	South-Eastern Bangladesh
Coordinates	22°29′45″N 92°13′45″E / 22.49583°N 92.22917°E
Type	reservoir
Primary inflows	Karnaphuli River
Primary outflows	Karnaphuli River
Catchment area	11,122 km2 (4,294 sq mi) [original research?]
Basin countries	Bangladesh
Average depth	100 ft (30 m)
Max. depth	495 ft (151 m)

Kaptai Lake is the largest man-made lake in Bangladesh.^[1] It is located in the Kaptai Upazila under Rangamati District of Chittagong Division. The lake was created as a result of building the Kaptai Dam on the Karnaphuli River, as part of the Karnaphuli Hydro-electric project. Kaptai Lake's average depth is 100 feet (30 m) and maximum depth is 490 feet (150 m).

History[edit]

Construction of the reservoir for the hydro-electric plant began in 1956 by the Government of East Pakistan.^[2] 54,000 acres (220 km²) of farmland in the Rangamati District was submerged with the creation of the lake. The project was finished in 1961.^[3] 40% of the total arable land went underwater as a result of the dam construction and 100,000 people were displaced.^[3] The palace of the king of the Chakmas was also flooded and is also underwater.^[2] The International Engineering Company and Utah International Inc. received the contract for the construction of the dam. The dam is 670.8 meters long, and 54.7 meters high.^[1]