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, 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 | |
  Location of Kantale Dam in Sri Lanka | |
| Country | Sri Lanka |
| Location | Kantale |
| Coordinates | 08°21′40″N 80°59′29″E / 8.36111°N 80.99139°E |
| Purpose | Irrigation |
| Status | Operational |
| Owner(s) | Mahaweli Authority |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Embankment dam |
| Impounds | Per Aru |
| Height (foundation) | 50 ft (15 m) |
| Length | 14,000 ft (4,267 m) |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Kantale Reservoir |
Reservoir history
editThe tank was built by Kulakkottan (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
editOn 20 April 1986 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
edit- ^ 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
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