Mahaweli River
The Mahaweli River ([මහවැලි ගඟ] Error: {{Lang-xx}}: text has italic markup (help) Mahawaluka nadee, literally "Great Sandy River"; Tamil: மகாவலி ஆறு [mahawali gangai]),[1] is a 335 km (208 mi) long river, ranking as the longest river in Sri Lanka. Its drainage basin is the largest in the country, and covers almost one-fifth of the total area of the island. The river reaches the Bay of Bengal on the southwestern side of Trincomalee Bay. The bay includes the first of a number submarine canyons, making Trincomalee one of the finest deep-sea harbors in the world.[2] 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.[3] 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.[4]
There is a misconception in Sri Lanka that the Mahaweli starts in the Sri Pada mountain. The Mahaweli gets its source waters from Hortain Plains in Kirigalpoththa and the Thotupola mountain range.
Tributaries
- Kotmale Oya
- Hatton Oya
- Hulu Ganga
- Loggal Oya
- Uma Oya
- Badulu Oya
- Amban ganga
See also
References
- ^ Room, Adrian (2001-05-01). Placenames of the World. McFarland & Company. ISBN 0-7864-1814-1.
- ^ Stoddart, David (1996-12-26). Process and Form in Geomorphology. Routledge (UK). ISBN 0-415-10527-7.
- ^ Barry, D. (2001-06-07). Knowledge of the Land. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-829601-0.
- ^ Mahaweli Ganga
8°28′N 81°14′E / 8.467°N 81.233°E
External links
