Kaptai Lake is one of the beautiful places in
Rangamati. It is a man-made lake in south-eastern Bangladesh. It is located in
the Kaptai Upazila of 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 495 feet (151 m). 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. This wonderful Lake was created by flooding valleys and plain
lands between numerous hills all around the Lake. It has Bangladesh’s only
hydro-electric project. The Kaptai Dam on the Karnaphuli River made for this
purpose resulted in the Kaptai Lake. This created a charming view as forested
hills and plateaus rise from beneath the wonderful Lake water. A stretch of
road connects the tourist spots of Kaptai and Rangamati. The road goes deep
into the hill tracts and displays the natural beauty and wildlife of the
district Rangamati. The government of Bangladesh runs many private operators
offer Kaptai Lake Cruise Tours, which is worth of it. Other scenic spots are
also accessible through the waterways. Cruising on the Kaptai Lake is a
pleasurable way of observing the landscape as many great picnic spots, natural
landmarks and historic monuments are accessible only by boats. 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 670.6 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.
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