Kaptai Lake
Encyclopedia
Kaptai Lake is a man made lake in south-eastern 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 (30.5 m) and maximum depth is 490 feet (149.4 m).
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 (227.1 m) long spillway containing 16 gates. Through the spillway 5250000 cuft/s of water can pass.
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 (75.1 km²) of the Government-owned forest, and 234 square miles (606.1 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.
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
. It is located in the Kaptai Upazila
Kaptai Upazila
Kaptai is an Upazila of Rangamati District in the Division of Chittagong, Bangladesh.-Geography:Kaptai is located at . It has 12992 units of house hold and total area 259 km².-Demographics:...
under Rangamati District
Rangamati District
Rangamati is a district in South-eastern Bangladesh. It is a part of the Chittagong Hill Tracts and the town of Rangamati serves as the headquarters of the district. Area-wise, Rangamati is the largest district of the country....
of Chittagong Division. The lake was created as a result of building the Kaptai Dam
Kaptai Dam
Kaptai Dam is located on the Karnaphuli River at Kaptai, 65 km upstream from Chittagong in Rangamati District, Bangladesh. It is an earthfill embankment dam with a reservoir water storage capacity of 11,000 km². The primary purpose of the construction of the dam and reservoir was to generate...
on the Karnaphuli River
Karnaphuli River
Karnaphuli is a wide river in the south-eastern part of Bangladesh. Originating from the Lushai hills in Mizoram, India, it flows southwest through Chittagong Hill Tracts and Chittagong into the Bay of Bengal. A large hydroelectric power plant using Karnaphuli river was built in the Kaptai...
, as part of the Karnaphuli Hydro-electric project. The Kaptai Lake's average depth is 100 feet (30.5 m) and maximum depth is 490 feet (149.4 m).
History
Construction of the reservoir for the hydro-electric plant began in 1956 by the Government of East Pakistan. As a result, 54000 acres (218.5 km²) of farmland in the Rangamati DistrictRangamati District
Rangamati is a district in South-eastern Bangladesh. It is a part of the Chittagong Hill Tracts and the town of Rangamati serves as the headquarters of the district. Area-wise, Rangamati is the largest district of the country....
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 (227.1 m) long spillway containing 16 gates. Through the spillway 5250000 cuft/s of water can pass.
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 (75.1 km²) of the Government-owned forest, and 234 square miles (606.1 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
Chakma people
The Chakmas , also known as the Changhma , are a community that inhabits the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh and the North-East India. The Chakmas are the largest ethnic group in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, making up more than half the tribal population. Chakmas are divided into 46 clans or...
was also flooded and is now under water.