When was Mahaweli project started?

27 October,1964
The project became operational on 27 October,1964 and field work was concluded in May, 1968. This was followed by UNDP/FAO Mission to investigate and report upon Organizational and Management requirements, from 15 June to 25 July.

Who started Mahaweli project in Sri Lanka?

The Mahaweli Project is the largest river basin development programme undertaken by the Government of Sri Lanka. The project is based on a Master Plan produced by an UNDP/FAO team during the years 1964-68 (Fig 1).

Where does Mahaweli river start and end?

Bay of Bengal
Mahaweli Ganga/Mouths

Where does the Mahaweli river start?

Kotmale Oya
Mahaweli Ganga/Sources

The real beginning of Mahaweli Ganga starts at Polwathura(at 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 on the southwestern side of Trincomalee Bay.

Who built Minipe anicut?

King Datusena
Among these ancient anicuts, the Minipe anicut was constructed across the Mahaweli river by King Datusena in the 5th Century AD and later on by King Aggabodi I. It is said that the water of the Mahaweli river was taken as far as Trincomalee. Minipe has been a continuous population center until the 17th Century AD.

How many rivers are there in Sri Lanka?

103 rivers
Sri Lanka has 103 rivers radially draining into the sea (Figure 1).

What is the largest river of Sri Lanka?

Mahaweli Ganga
Mahaweli Ganga, (Sinhalese: “Great Sandy River”), river, central and eastern Sri Lanka. At 208 mi (335 km) in length, it is Sri Lanka’s longest river.

What is the shortest river in Sri Lanka?

Mahaweli River
List of rivers of Sri Lanka

Rank Name Length
1 Mahaweli River 335 km (208 mi)
2 Malvathu River 164 km (102 mi)
3 Kala Oya 148 km (92 mi)
4 Kelani River 145 km (90 mi)

Who built Yoda Ela?

King Dathusena’
Construction. Yodha Ela was constructed during King Dathusena’s reign in 459 AD. It is 87 km (54 mi) long. It is a trans-basin diversion canal transferring water from Kala Oya Basin to Malwathu Oya Basin, but because of the mild slope to which it had been constructed.

Which is the largest river in Sri Lanka?

Does Sri Lanka have a river?

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). At 335 km (208 mi), the Mahaweli River is the longest river in the island, and has drainage basin covering more than one-fifth of the island.

What is the smallest river in Sri Lanka?

Where does the Mahaweli River get its power?

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. There is a misconception in Sri Lanka that the Mahaweli starts in the Sri Pada mountain.

Is the Mahaweli irrigation project in Sri Lanka?

The accelerated programme also encompasses most of major irrigation settlement systems in which the settlement is Lanka nearing completion [4].

What was the purpose of the Mahaweli Development Programme?

For the purpose of identification, the whole development area was divided into projects, referred to as Systems A to M. In 1961 the Sirimavo Bandaranayake government of Ceylon requested assistance from the Special Fund of the United Nations to survey the Mahaweli Ganga Basin and the Dry Zone areas.

When was the construction of the Mahaweli dam?

The construction of the Mahaweli Project initially commenced in 1970 with the interbasin transfer diversion headworks at Polgolla near Kandy [1,2]. The Polgolla complex comprising a barrage, tunnel and a hydropower station at Ukuwela, was completed in 1976.