| Mahaweli River | |
|---|---|
 Mahaweli River flowing throughGampola | |
 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″N81°13′46″E / 8.45944°N 81.22944°E /8.45944; 81.22944 |
| Length | 335 km (208 mi) |
| Basin size | 10,448 km2 |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Amban Ganga |
| • right | Kotmale Oya |
TheMahaweli River (Sinhala:මහවැලි ගඟ, literally "Great Sandy River";Tamil:மகாவலி ஆறு [mahawali gangai]),[2] is a 335 km (208 mi) long river, ranking as the longestriver inSri Lanka. It has adrainage basin of 10,448 km2 (4,034 sq mi), the largest in the country, which covers almost one-fifth of the total area of the island.[3] 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 theBay of Bengal on the southwestern side ofTrincomalee Bay. The bay includes the first of a number ofsubmarine canyons, making Trincomalee one of the finest natural deep-seaharbours in the world.[4]
As part ofMahaweli Development programme, the river and its tributaries aredammed at several locations to allowirrigation in the dry zone, with almost 1,000 km2 (386 sq mi) of land irrigated.[5] The production ofhydroelectricity 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 theKotmale Oya.[6]
There is a misconception in Sri Lanka that the Mahaweli starts atSri Pada Mountain. The Mahaweli gets its source waters fromHorton Plains inKirigalpoththa and theThotupola mountain range.
The Mahaweli River starts from Polwathura/Mahavila area with its water source starting from theHorton Plains National Park.
| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
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