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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. [6] There is a misconception in Sri Lanka that the Mahaweli starts at Sri Pada Mountain.
The Mahaweli Development program (Sinhala: මහවැලි සංවර්ධන වැඩසටහන) 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 park's elevation range from 20–60 metres (66–197 ft) with sparse rock outcrop. [3] The Mahaweli River flows from south to north through the centre of the park. The rich alluvial soil flood plains situated beside the river are featured by a number of shallow swampy depressions called "villus".
Victoria Dam (Sinhala: වික්ටෝරියා වේල්ල Viktoriya Vella) is an arch dam located 130 mi (209 km) upstream of the Mahaweli River's mouth and 4 mi (6 km) from Teldeniya in Sri Lanka. It is named in honour of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. Its main purposes are irrigation and hydroelectric power production.
There are two words meaning "river" in the Sinhala language, namely Ganga (ගඟ) and Oya (ඔය), of which the usage of both terms is arbitrary. At 335 km (208 mi), the Mahaweli River is the longest river on the island, its drainage basin covering more than one-fifth of the island. It is estimated that there are 103 rivers in Sri Lanka. [1]
Water systems of the park made up 15% of the land area, include five reservoirs; Maduru Oya, Ulhitiya, Ratkinda, NDK, and Henanigala reservoirs and tributaries of the Mahaweli and Maduru Oya rivers. [2] Situated in the dry zone of Sri Lanka, the climatic conditions are dominated by the north-east monsoon, which persists from October to February.
The central riparian flood plain is featured by many old river channels and contain dispersed 'villus', the waterfilled basins around among the grassy plains. There are 20 such villus is located in the park. [3] Somawathiya and Flood plains national parks are important protected areas for the wetland system of Mahaweli River flood plains. [5]
Mahaweli Authority is a state-owned operator in Sri Lanka for managing the Mahaweli River and its projects. It was established in 1979. [2]The primary objective of the Mahaweli Authority is to implement the Mahaweli River development scheme.