Karnaphuli reservoir
| Karnaphuli / Kaptai | |||
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| Coordinates | 22 ° 29 '45 " N , 92 ° 13' 45" E | ||
| Data on the structure | |||
| Construction time: | 1956-1952 | ||
| Height of the barrier structure : | 46.7 m | ||
| Building volume: | 5.805 million m³ | ||
| Crown length: | 670 m | ||
| Power plant output: | 230 MW | ||
| Data on the reservoir | |||
| Water surface | 583, 655 or 680 km² | ||
| Storage space | 5247, 5365 or 6500 million m³ | ||
| Catchment area | 11,000 km² | ||
The Karnaphuli Reservoir (also Karnaphuli or Kaptai Reservoir ) is the largest reservoir with the only hydroelectric power station in Bangladesh . With the construction of the dam, the Karnaphuli River was dammed into a large reservoir . It is located in the southeast of the country in the Rangamati district near Kaptai , around 65 km upstream from Chittagong .
Use
The main purposes of the dam are flood protection and hydropower generation. The hydropower plant has an electrical output of 230 megawatts. Secondary purposes are fishing, shipping, and irrigation.
Reservoir
The reservoir is shaped like an H and has two arms that unite at Shubalong Gorge. Several rivers flow into the reservoir next to the Karnaphuli. These are: Mayni , Kasalong , Chengi and Rinkhyong . The average depth is approx. 9 m (depending on the actual content and surface a little more or less); the greatest depth is 32 m.
Barrier structure
The dam, made of bulk material, is 670 meters long, 45.7 meters high and has a flood overflow with 16 openings on the left side of the main dam. Construction lasted six years until the inauguration on March 30, 1962.
Disadvantages of the reservoir
The reservoir flooded 655 km². The area is given elsewhere as 583 or 680 km². This includes 220 km² of arable land, that is 40% of the arable land in the area. 18,000 families and 100,000 indigenous people had to be resettled and were not compensated. Of these, 70% were from the Chakma tribe . More than 40,000 Chakma emigrated to India. The lack of arable land creates conflict in this area. The reservoir also flooded parts of the city of Rangamati . The reservoir also had negative effects on flora and fauna.
Because the vegetation around the lake is disappearing, erosion occurs and, as a result, landslides, which gradually silt up the lake. In the 1990s, the reservoir had already lost 25% of its storage capacity.
See also
- List of power plants in Bangladesh
- List of the largest dams on earth
- List of the largest reservoirs on earth
- List of the largest hydroelectric plants in the world
- List of dams in the world