Kaptai Lake

Kaptai Lake
Location	South-Eastern Bangladesh
Coordinates	22°29′45″N 92°13′45″E
Type	reservoir
Primary inflows	Karnaphuli River
Primary outflows	Karnaphuli River
Catchment area	11,122 km2 (4,294 sq mi)
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. 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. The Kaptai Lake's average depth is 100 feet (30 m) and maximum depth is 490 feet (150 m).

History

Construction of the reservoir for the hydro-electric plant began in 1956 by the Government of East Pakistan. As a result, 54,000 acres (220 km²) of farmland in the Rangamati District went under water and created the lake. The hydro-electric project was funded by the United States. The project was finished in 1962. International Engineering Company and Utah International Inc. received the contract for construction of the dam. The dam is 670.8 meters long, and 54.7 meters high. The dam has a 745 feet (227 m) long spillway containing 16 gates. Through the spillway 5,250,000 cu ft/s (149,000 m³/s) of water can pass.

A family visit at Kaptai Lake

The land that went under water as a result of the dam construction, was 40% of the total arable land in the area. Along with that, 29 square miles (75 km²) of the Government-owned forest, and 234 square miles (610 km²) of other forest land went under water. About 18,000 families with a total of almost 100 thousand people were also displaced. The palace of the king of the Chakmas was also flooded and is now under water.

Ecological disaster

The ecological damage of the lake recently assessed shows that water pollution due to the use of fertilisers and pesticides around the lake is affecting life in the water. In 1966, the share of big fishes in the total fish production was 78%, by 1993 it had come down to 2%. Also, more than five tons of human excrements and other wastes are reported to flow into the lake every day. As 85% of the population living around the lake depends on the water for drinking, cooking, washing and bathing, health risks have increased sharply.

Gallery

• 
  Hanging Bridge
• 
  the lake
• 
  Sunset on the lake
• 
  Bridge over the lake
• 
  Boat on the lake
• 
  View of Kaptai lake, Rangamati
• 
  Prayer at Kaptai Lake

See also

• Mahamaya irrigation project
• Kaptai National Park