The Mahaweli River (, literally "Great Sandy River";
'mahawali gangai'',
is a long river, ranking as the longest
river
A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...
in
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
. It has a
drainage basin
A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...
of , the largest in the country, which covers almost one-fifth of the total area of the island.
The Mahaweli Ganga starts at Polwathura (in the Mahawila area), a remote village of Nuwara-Eliya District in bank Nawalapitiya of Kandy District by further joining of Hatton Oya and Kotmale Oya. The river reaches the
Bay of Bengal
The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. Geographically it is positioned between the Indian subcontinent and the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese peninsula, located below the Bengal region.
Many South Asian and Southe ...
on the southwestern side of
Trincomalee Bay. The bay includes the first of a number of
submarine canyon
A submarine canyon is a steep-sided valley cut into the seabed of the continental slope, sometimes extending well onto the continental shelf, having nearly vertical walls, and occasionally having canyon wall heights of up to , from canyon flo ...
s, making Trincomalee one of the finest natural deep-sea
harbour
A harbor (American English), or harbour (Commonwealth English; see American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, spelling differences), is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be Mooring, moored. The t ...
s in the world.
As part of
Mahaweli Development programme The Mahaweli Development program () is known as the largest multipurpose national development program in the history of Sri Lanka and is also considered the keystone of the government's development program that was initiated in 1961.
Purposes of th ...
, the river and its tributaries are
dam
A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...
med at several locations to allow
irrigation
Irrigation (also referred to as watering of plants) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has bee ...
in the dry zone, with almost of land irrigated.
The production of
hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...
from six dams in the Mahaweli system supplies more than 40% of Sri Lanka's electricity needs. One of the many sources of the river is the
Kotmale Oya.
Mahaweli Ganga
/ref>
There is a misconception in Sri Lanka that the Mahaweli starts at Sri Pada
Adam's Peak is a conical sacred mountain located in central Sri Lanka.Capper, Daniel (2022), ''Roaming Free Like a Deer: Buddhism and the Natural World,'' Cornell University Press. It is well known for the ''Sri Pada'' (; ), a rock format ...
Mountain. The Mahaweli gets its source waters from Horton Plains
Horton Plains National Park () is a national park in the central highlands of Sri Lanka that was designated in 1988. It covers an area of 31km² and borders Thotupalakanda Nature Reserve. It is located at an elevation of and encompasses montane ...
in Kirigalpoththa
Kirigalpoththa is the second-tallest mountain in Sri Lanka at above mean sea level, and is also the highest mountain in the country whose summit is accessible to the general public (the highest point, Pidurutalagala, is occupied by a military b ...
and the Thotupola mountain range.
Tributaries
* Nanu Oya
* Puna Oya
* Pundalu Oya
* Kotmale Oya
* Hatton Oya
* Atabage Oya
* Nilamba Oya
* Nanu Oya (Peradeniya)
* Thalathu Oya
* Hulu Ganga
* Heen Ganga
* Beli Ul Oya
* Kirindi Oya
* Loggal Oya
* Uma Oya
* Badulu Oya
* Kalu Ganga (Tributary)
* Amban Ganga
* Gin Oya
Gin () is a distilled alcoholic drink flavoured with juniper berries and other botanical ingredients.
Gin originated as a medicinal liquor made by monks and alchemists across Europe. The modern gin was modified in Flanders and the Netherlands ...
Starting of Mahaweli
The Mahaweli River starts from Polwathura/Mahavila area with its water source starting from the Horton Plains National Park.
See also
* List of rivers in Sri Lanka
The following table lists most rivers of Sri Lanka. Since Sri Lanka is a trilingual country, some rivers may have a Sinhala name (i.e. Kalu Ganga), while other have an English name (i.e. Kelani River). There are two words meaning "river" in the ...
* Mahaweli Development programme The Mahaweli Development program () is known as the largest multipurpose national development program in the history of Sri Lanka and is also considered the keystone of the government's development program that was initiated in 1961.
Purposes of th ...
References
External links
Mahaweli River The Lifeline of Sri Lanka
Rivers of Sri Lanka
{{SriLanka-river-stub