Karnaphuli dam under threat from downpour, water onrush
Our Correspondent, Rangamati
The country's lone hydroelectric dam downstream the Karnaphuli river in Kaptai is under threat as water pressure increased due to downpour and onrush of water from the Lushai Hills until yesterday, Plant Manager Liakat Ullah told reporters.Water level yesterday reached close to the dam's capacity and is rising alarmingly as onrush of hilly water and incessant rain continued, dam officials said. They recorded 105.7 MSL (mean sea level) yesterday at 8:00am against 109 MSL capacity of the dam, official sources said. The sources viewed the rise in water level alarming as an earthquake last year weakened the decades old dam. The then Pakistani government set up the dam on the mouth of the Karnaphuli in the 1950s and opened it for power generation in 1960. Liakat said the dam releases 190,000-cusec water every day with all of its 16 spillways remaining nine-foot open. "We're watching over the situation and informed higher authorities of the latest development," he added. Deputy Commissioner of Rangamati Jafar Ahmed Khan admitted the need for a special survey on the dam's framework. The Power Development Board (PDB) has meanwhile conducted a survey on setting up of another power generation unit. Currently five units carry the generation of power.
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