The Kantale Dam ( si, කන්තලේ වැව, translit=Kantaḷe Wewa, ta, கந்தளாய் அணை, translit=Kantaḷāy Aṇai) is a large

embankment dam An embankment dam is a large artificial dam. It is typically created by the placement and compaction of a complex semi-plastic mound of various compositions of soil or rock. It has a semi-pervious waterproof natural covering for its surface and ...

built in

Kantale Kantale ( si, කන්තලේ, translit=Kantalē; ta, கந்தளாய், translit=Kantaḷāy) is a town in the Trincomalee District in eastern Sri Lanka. The town is located south-west of Trincomalee. According to the ancient chron ...

Trincomalee District Trincomalee District ( ta, திருக்கோணமலை மாவட்டம் ''Tirukōṇamalai Māvaṭṭam;'' si, ත්‍රිකුණාමළය දිස්ත්‍රික්කය ''Trikuṇāmalaya distrikkaya'') is one ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

, used for

irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow Crop, crops, Landscape plant, landscape plants, and Lawn, lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,00 ...

. It is long, and over high. The dam

breached Breached was a Canadian rock band from Toronto, Ontario, active from 2010 to 2015. Its members were Bobby Noakes (vocals), Mike Diesel (guitar/vocals), Ryan Alexander (bass), and Neil Uppal (drums). Mike Diesel was a member of the band Age o ...

on , killing more than 120 people. It has since been reconstructed. The dam impounds the

Per Aru Per Aru is a river in Northern Province, Sri Lanka. The river rises in northern Vavuniya District, before flowing north/north-east through Vavuniya District and Mullaitivu District. The river empties into Nanthi Kadal lagoon. See also * List ...

, a small river discharging into the

Koddiyar Bay Trincomalee Bay, also known as Koddiyar Bay, is a bay in the Eastern Province, Sri Lanka. The bay is located by Trincomalee town on the north-east coast of the island. Geography Trincomalee Bay is open towards the northeast and has th ...

, at

Trincomalee Harbour Trincomalee Harbour is a seaport in Trincomalee Bay or Koddiyar Bay, a large natural harbour situated on the northeastern coast of Sri Lanka. Located by Trincomalee, Sri Lanka, in the heart of the Indian Ocean, its strategic importance has sh ...

Reservoir history

The tank was built by King Aggabodhi II (604-614 AD) and further developed by King

Parakramabahu the Great Parākramabāhu I ( Sinhala: මහා පරාක්‍රමබාහු, 1123–1186), or Parakramabahu the Great, was the king of Polonnaruwa from 1153 to 1186. He oversaw the expansion and beautification of his capital, constructed extensiv ...

. It was also known as Gangathala Vapi at the time. The reservoir has a catchment area of and a capacity of .

1986 Dam failure

On 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 of paddy, affecting over 8,000 families. One of the main causes of the breach was said to be due to extra-heavy vehicles being driven over the dam.

References

External links

* Buildings and structures in Trincomalee District Dams in Sri Lanka Dam failures {{Asia-dam-stub