Kantale Dam

Dam in Kantale

08°21′40″N 80°59′29″E / 8.36111°N 80.99139°E / 8.36111; 80.99139PurposeIrrigationStatusOperationalOwner(s)Mahaweli AuthorityDam and spillwaysType of damEmbankment damImpoundsPer AruHeight (foundation)50 ft (15 m)Length14,000 ft (4,267 m)ReservoirCreatesKantale Reservoir

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. It is 14,000 ft (4,267 m) long, and over 50 ft (15 m) high. The dam, used for irrigation, 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.

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

^ ^a ^b "The leak that turned into a flood". Sunday Times. 1 May 2011. Retrieved 13 February 2014.
^ "Kantale Wewa". Lankapradeepa. 5 December 2020. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
^ "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.
^ Anura Maitipe (31 December 2003). "Kantale dam in danger". Daily News. Retrieved 13 February 2014.
^ Namini Wijedasa (7 August 2005). "Urgent call for dam safety". Sunday Island. Retrieved 13 February 2014.

External links

Rehabilitation of Kantale Dam on YouTube

Inland waters of Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan irrigation network
- Tank cascade system
Mahaweli Authority
Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources Management

Rivers

≥100km	Deduru Oya Gal Oya Gin Ganga Kala Oya Kalu Ganga Kukule Ganga Kelani River Kehelgamu Oya Maskeliya Oya Pusweli Oya Kirindi Oya Kumbukkan Oya Maduru Oya Maha Oya Malwathu Oya Amban Ganga Kotmale Oya Nanu Oya Mahaweli Ganga Menik Ganga Mi Oya Walawe River Belihul Oya Yan Oya
<100km	Akkarayan Aru Kanakarayan Aru Kodalikkallu Aru Madu Ganga Mandekal Aru Mavil Aru Nay Aru (Mannar) Nay Aru (Mullaitivu) Netheli Aru Nilwala River Pali Aru Pallavarayankaddu Aru Parangi Aru Per Aru Piramenthal Aru Theravil Aru Valukkai Aru Verugal Aru

Lakes

Lagoons

Eastern coast	Batticaloa Lagoon Chalai Lagoon Chundikkulam Lagoon Kokkilai Lagoon Nai Aru Lagoon Nanthi Lagoon Ullackalie Lagoon Upaar Lagoon Vadamarachchi Lagoon Valaichchenai Lagoon
Western coast	Jaffna Lagoon Mundal Lagoon Negombo Lagoon Puttalam Lagoon Uppu Aru Lagoon
Southern coast	Koggala Lagoon Rekawa Lagoon Malala-Ambilikala Lagoons

Dams and
reservoirs

With hydroelectric capabilities	Bowatenna Broadlands Canyon Castlereigh Deduru Oya Dyraaba Gal Oya Kotmale Kukule Ganga Laxapana Maskeliya Moragahakanda Moragolla Nilambe Norton Polgolla Randenigala Rantembe Samanala Udawalawe Upper Kotmale Victoria
Irrigation-only (incl. ancient tanks)	Abhayavapi Diyawanna Giant's Tank Giritale Tank Inginimitiya Iranamadu Tank Kala Wewa Kalu Ganga Kandalama Kantale Konduwattuwana Wewa Lake Gregory Lunugamwehera Maduru Oya Minneriya Tank Muthuiyankaddu Kulam Nachchaduwa wewa Parakrama Samudra Puhulpola Rajanganaya Rambakan Oya Ratkinda Sorabora Wewa Tissa Wewa (Anuradhapura) Tissa Wewa (Tissamaharama) Ulhitiya Vavuni Kulam

With hydroelectric
capabilities