Authorities further opened the spillway gates of Kaptai Dam on Saturday night as the water level of Kaptai Lake continued to rise rapidly.
The 16 spillway gates were raised to one foot from six inches, releasing about 18,000 cusecs of water per second into the Karnaphuli River.
Around 8pm, the gates had been opened six inches, releasing 9,000 cusecs, before being doubled to one foot at 10:35pm.
Tarek Ahmed, engineer at the Karnaphuli Hydropower Plant, said the gates were being opened in phases while monitoring the lake’s level and overall situation.
“If the water level continues to rise, the gates may be opened further by another one to two feet around 10am Sunday,” he said. Opening to two feet could release about 39,000 cusecs per second.
Sources said water was being released in phases as the lake approached its designated capacity. Authorities may decide on further openings if the level rises.
The flow of the Karnaphuli River downstream may increase further due to the release of excess water through the spillway gates and power generation at the Kaptai Hydropower Station.
Residents of low‑lying areas in Kaptai, Rangamati and Chattogram have been advised to remain alert.
