Kantale Dam

The Kantale Dam (Sinhala: කන්තලේ වැව, romanized: Kantaḷe Wewa, Tamil: கந்தளாய் அணை, romanized: Kantaḷāy Aṇai) is a large embankment dam built in Kantale, Trincomalee District, Sri Lanka, used for irrigation. It is 14,000 ft (4,267 m) long, and over 50 ft (15 m) high. The dam breached on 20 April 1986 (1986-04-20), killing more than 120 people.[1] It has since been reconstructed. The dam impounds the Per Aru, a small river discharging into the Koddiyar Bay, at Trincomalee Harbour.

Kantale Dam
Kantale Tank in May 2015
Kantale Dam is located in Sri Lanka
Kantale Dam
Location of Kantale Dam in Sri Lanka
CountrySri Lanka
LocationKantale
Coordinates08°21′40″N 80°59′29″E
PurposeIrrigation
StatusOperational
Owner(s)Mahaweli Authority
Dam and spillways
Type of damEmbankment dam
ImpoundsPer Aru
Height (foundation)50 ft (15 m)
Length14,000 ft (4,267 m)
Reservoir
CreatesKantale Reservoir

Reservoir history

The tank was built by King Aggabodhi II (604-614 AD) and further developed by King Parakramabahu the Great.[2] It was also known as Gangathala Vapi at the time. The reservoir has a catchment area of 216 km2 (83 sq mi) and a capacity of 135 million cubic metres (4.8×109 cu ft).[3]

1986 Dam failure

On 20 April 1986 (1986-04-20) at 03:00 AM, the dam breached, sending a wall of water over the villages downstream. The floods killed approximately 120–180 people, destroyed over 1,600 houses and 2,000 acres (810 ha) of paddy, affecting over 8,000 families.[1] One of the main causes of the breach was said to be due to extra-heavy vehicles being driven over the dam.[4][5]

References
  1. "The leak that turned into a flood". Sunday Times. 1 May 2011. Retrieved 13 February 2014.
  2. "Kantale Wewa". Lankapradeepa. 5 December 2020. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  3. "Great Engineering feats II: Vast reservoirs built by the Kings". Sunday Observer. 29 March 2011. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
  4. Anura Maitipe (31 December 2003). "Kantale dam in danger". Daily News. Retrieved 13 February 2014.
  5. Namini Wijedasa (7 August 2005). "Urgent call for dam safety". Sunday Island. Retrieved 13 February 2014.
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