Due to lack of rain, the water level of Kaptai lake is decreasing rapidly. As a result, production at Kaptai hydroelectric power station, which is dependent on Kaptai lake, has decreased. Only 25 MW of electricity was produced last Saturday at the Kaptai hydropower station with a production capacity of 142 MW. Among the five units of the Kaptai hydropower station, unit number one with a capacity of 46 MW was operational last Saturday.
Kaptai Hydropower Station manager ATM Abduzzah said that power production has decreased due to the lower water level in Kaptai Lake. According to the rule curve last Saturday, the water level in Kaptai Lake was 73.68 MSL (Main Sea Level). At that time the water level was supposed to be 82 MSL. Power generation is 25 MW. Due to low water in Kaptai Lake, it is not possible to go into full production. Because if there is more electricity production, the water of Kaptai lake will be exhausted soon. For this reason a small amount of electricity is being produced by keeping a unit running. Rain is very important for increasing power generation. If there is no rain in the next few days, the production at Kaptai Power Plant will be completely stopped.
Managing Director (MD) of Chittagong WASA AKM Faizullah said that the water level in Kaptai Lake has decreased due to lack of rain. Due to this, sufficient water is not being released from Kaptai hydroelectric station in Karnaphuli. This has reduced the flow of fresh water upstream. The salt water of the sea enters the Halda river through Karnaphuli. Salt still remains after water is purified.
Chittagong University Zoology Department professor and Dr. Manjurul Kibriya said, the salinity of Karnaphuli and Halda rivers has increased. But salinity is much higher during high tide. Due to climate change, prolonged absence of rains and decreasing water level in Kaptai Lake, salinity has increased in Karnaphuli and Halda rivers. However, if it rains, the hills will descend upstream. This will solve the problem.
According to sources of Kaptai Hydropower Station, this power station produces electricity at the lowest cost in the country by using only water from Kaptai Lake. The cost per unit of power generation is only 35 paise. Power generation capacity in five units is 242 MW. Among them, unit number one has 46, unit number two has 46, unit number three has 50, unit number four has 50 and unit number five has the capacity to produce electricity.
Note that in 1960, a dam was built on the Karnaphuli river in Kaptai upazila to generate electricity. This dam created a huge reservoir covering an area of 256 square miles. It is the largest man-made lake in Southeast Asia.
In this regard, Kurigram Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Saidul Arif said that the conventional brick kilns are closing by the middle of 2025. In that case, concrete block will play a good role as it is environment friendly.
JH
