The Mahaweli River ( Sinhala : මහවැලි ගඟ , literally "Great Sandy River"; Tamil : மகாவலி ஆறு [ mahawali gangai ]), is a 335 km (208 mi) long river, ranking as the longest river in Sri Lanka . It has a drainage basin of 10,448 km (4,034 sq mi), 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 on the southwestern side of Trincomalee Bay . The bay includes the first of a number of submarine canyons , making Trincomalee one of the finest natural deep-sea harbours in the world.
10-528: 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 km (386 sq mi) of land irrigated. The production of hydroelectricity 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 . There
20-801: Is a misconception in Sri Lanka that the Mahaweli starts at Sri Pada Mountain. The Mahaweli gets its source waters from Horton Plains in Kirigalpoththa and the Thotupola mountain range. The Mahaweli River starts from Polwathura/Mahavila area with its water source starting from the Horton Plains National Park. This article related to a river in Sri Lanka is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Mahaweli Development programme The Mahaweli Development program ( Sinhala : මහවැලි සංවර්ධන වැඩසටහන )
30-443: 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. The main purposes of carrying out the program were the generation of hydroelectric power, controlling flood, making irrigation facilities for dry zone cultivation, settlement of landless and unemployed families by constructing and developing
40-614: The Master plan and also Gazetted areas, the Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka was established in 1979 by an Act of Parliament with a mandate. By the end of 1995, all the headworks of the AMP had been completed and were functioning. Feasibility studies were scheduled to be completed in respect of the proposed Moragahakanda Project. Mahaweli Authority Mahaweli Authority is a state-owned operator in Sri Lanka for managing
50-414: The first stage between 1965 and 1967 a field investigation of the entire project area with the aim of developing an outline for a Master Plan for the full development of the water resources for irrigation and hydropower was performed; in the second stage between 1967 and 1968 all the three phases of development for the entire scheme were identified, additional investigations were made of the areas selected for
60-602: The physical and social infrastructure required for human habitation by using the waters of the Mahaweli River . Increase local agricultural production and create employment opportunities for the people were among the other expected purposes. The Master Plan of Mahaweli Development Programme was prepared with the assistance of UNDP and FAO and recommended for stepwise implementation over a period of 30 years. The program, included irrigation development of about 365,000 ha and hydropower development of 470 MW in capacity. For
70-745: 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. The funding was approved and the project operation started in 1964. The survey was carried out in two stages: in
80-420: The three projects to be included in the first phase of development and detailed designs were prepared. Execution of the project one of the first phases, which included Polgolla headwork, commended in 1970. The first phase of the program consisted of diversion headworks at Polgolla and Bowatenna, 40 MW hydropower plant at Ukuwela and an improved water supply to about 52,700 ha of existing irrigated land. Phase one
90-645: Was completed in 1976. The step-wise implementation of the Mahaweli Development Programme would have lasted about 30 years from 1975. However, the newly appointed J. R. Jayewardene government in 1977 decided to speed up the program and complete it within its term of office of 6 years. According to that the Accelerated Mahaweli Programme (AMP) was implemented with a revision of the Master Plan in 1977. Which
100-693: Was consist of 12 projects and mainly confined to four head works in the initial works of the program, including the construction of Kotmale, Victoria, Maduru Oya, Randenigala dams and the downstream development of about 60,000 ha in Systems B and C and the Minipe anicut, the Right Bank Trans basin Canal and the Ulhitiya and Ratkinda reservoirs. To implement the project plan in the balance areas proposed by
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