Kantale Dam, Embankment dam in Trincomalee District, Sri Lanka.

Kantale Dam is an embankment dam in the Trincomalee District of Sri Lanka, built from compacted earth to hold back a large reservoir known as Kantale Tank. Water released from the reservoir flows through a network of channels that supply the surrounding farmland.

The structure was first built under King Aggabodhi II during the Anuradhapura period, and later expanded under King Parakramabahu, who oversaw major irrigation works across the island. After centuries of neglect, it was restored during the colonial era and again in the 20th century.

The reservoir was known as Gangathala Vapi in the Anuradhapura period, a Pali name linking it to the river it impounds, the Per Aru. Today the tank irrigates paddy land around Kantale, and the ten sluice gates control the water released to the fields.

The dam is easy to reach from the main road between Kantale town and Trincomalee, and you can walk along the top of the embankment for a clear view of the reservoir. The drier months, roughly from May to September, offer the clearest conditions for seeing the full extent of the water.

The 1986 breach was blamed on extra-heavy vehicles driven across the dam, and the flood destroyed over 1,600 houses and 2,000 acres of paddy, affecting more than 8,000 families. The reservoir was later rebuilt; its catchment covers 216 km2 and holds 135 million cubic metres.