Mahaweli River
| Mahaweli River | |
|---|---|
 Mahaweli River flowing through Gampola | |
 Mahaweli river on the Srilankan Map | |
| Location | |
| Country | Sri Lanka |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Horton Plains National Park[1] |
| Mouth | Bay of Bengal |
• location | Trincomalee Bay |
• coordinates | 08°27′34″N 81°13′46″E / 8.45944°N 81.22944°E |
| Length | 335 km (208 mi) |
| Basin size | 10,448 km2 |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Amban Ganga |
| • right | Kotmale Oya |
The Mahaweli River (
harbours in the world.[4]
As part of Mahaweli Development programme the river and its tributaries are dammed at several locations to allow irrigation in the dry zone, with almost 1,000 km2 (386 sq mi) of land irrigated.[5] Production of hydroelectricity from six dams of 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.[6]
There is a misconception in Sri Lanka that the Mahaweli starts in 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
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
- Mahaweli Development programme
References
- ^ "Horton Plains National Park". International Water Management Institute. Archived from the original on August 5, 2010. Retrieved 23 November 2009.
- ISBN 0-7864-1814-1.
- FAO. 2012. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
- ISBN 0-415-10527-7.
- ISBN 0-19-829601-0.
- ^ Mahaweli Ganga
External links
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
