The Kantale Dam (, ) 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 ...
built in
Kantale, Trincomalee District, Sri Lanka. It is long, and over high. The dam, used for irrigation,
breached
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on , killing more than 120 people.
It has since been reconstructed. The dam impounds the
Per Aru
The 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
* Li ...
, a small river discharging into the
Koddiyar Bay, at
Trincomalee Harbour
Trincomalee Harbour is a seaport in Trincomalee Bay or Koddiyar Bay, fourth largest natural harbour in the world and situated on the northeastern coast of Sri Lanka.
Located by Trincomalee, Sri Lanka, in the heart of the Indian Ocean, its strat ...
.
Reservoir history
The tank was built by Kulakkottan (604-614 AD) and further developed by King
Parakramabahu the Great. 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 in Asia
1986 in Sri Lanka
Man-made disasters in Sri Lanka
1986 disasters in Sri Lanka
April 1986 in Sri Lanka
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