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The ancient Sri Lankan people, which consisted of Sinhalese and Sri Lankan Tamils excelled in the construction of tanks (Wevas) or reservoirs, dagobas, Hindu temples and palaces in Sri Lanka, as evident from the ruins which displays a rich variety of architectural forms.
Sri Lankan state-sponsored colonization schemes is the government program of settling mostly Sinhalese farmers from the densely populated wet zone into the sparsely populated areas of the dry zone near tanks and reservoirs being built in major irrigation and hydro-power programs such as the Mahaweli project. This has taken place since the 1950s.
Wasgamuwa National Park is a natural park in Sri Lanka situated in the Matale and Polonnaruwa Districts. It was declared to protect and to make a refuge for the displaced wild animals during the Mahaweli Development Project in 1984 and is one of the four National Parks designated under the Project. Originally it was designated as a nature reserve in 1938, and then in the early 1970s the area was regraded as a strict nature reserve. Wasgamuwa is one of the protected areas where Sri Lankan Elephants can be seen in large herds. It is also one of the Important Bird Areas in Sri Lanka. The name of the Wasgamuwa has derived from the words "Walas Gamuwa". "Walasa" is Sinhala for sloth bear and "Gamuwa" means a wood. The park is situated 225 km away from Colombo.
Kala Wewa built by the King Datusena in 460 A.D, is a twin reservoir complex which has a capacity of 123 million cubic meters. This reservoir complex has facilitated with a stone made spillway and three main sluices. From the central major sluice, a 40 feet wide central conveys water to feed thousands of acres of paddy lands and ends at the historical capital Anuradhapura city tank Tissa Wewa meandering over 87 km (54 mi) at a slope of 6 inches per mile and is another wonder of primeval hydraulic engineering facility in ancient Ceylon.
The Samanala Dam is a dam primarily used for hydroelectric power generation in Sri Lanka. Commissioned in 1992, the Samanalawewa Project is the third-largest hydroelectric scheme in the country, producing 405 GWh of energy annually. It was built with financial support from Japan and the United Kingdom. It is notable for a large leak on its right bank. Power production continues as planned despite the leakage, and the water from the leak now provides two thirds of the water issued by the reservoir for agriculture in downstream areas.
The Bhadra Dam or Lakkavalli Dam, which has created the Bhadra Reservoir, is located on the Bhadra River a tributary of Tungabhadra River. Bhadra Dam is located in the border of Bhadravathi and Tarikere, in the western part of Karnataka in India. The benefits derived from the reservoir storage are irrigation with gross irrigation potential of 162,818 hectares, hydro power generation of 39.2 MW, drinking water supply and industrial use. The dam commissioned in 1965 is a composite earth cum masonry structure of 59.13 metres (194.0 ft) height with length of 1,708 metres (5,604 ft) at the crest level, which submerges a land area of 11,250.88 hectares.
The Gal Oya Dam is an embankment dam in the Uva Province of Sri Lanka. The dam creates one of the largest reservoirs in the country, the Gal Oya Reservoir. Water from the reservoir is used primarily for irrigation in the Uva and Eastern provinces, in addition to powering a small hydroelectric power station. Construction of the dam and reservoir began in August 24, 1949, completing four years later in 1953.
Bakamuna is a village town in Sri Lanka. It is located within North Central Province.
The Inginimitiya Dam is an embankment dam built across the Mi Oya, at Inginimitiya, Sri Lanka. Measuring 4,880 m (16,010 ft) wide and 18 m (59 ft) tall, the dam creates the popular Inginimitiya Reservoir, which is primarily used for irrigation purposes, among other reasons.
The Deduru Oya Dam is an embankment dam built across the Deduru River in Kurunegala District of Sri Lanka. Built in 2014, the primary purpose of the dam is to retain approximately a billion cubic metres of water for irrigation purposes, which would otherwise flow out to sea. Site studies of the dam began in 2006 and construction started in 2008. It was ceremonially completed in 2014, with the presence of the then President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
The Rambakan Oya Dam is an embankment dam in Maha Oya, Eastern Province, Sri Lanka. The reservoir was designed and constructed by the Sri Lanka Mahaveli Authority and currently functions under the direction of the Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources Management. It have been created by building an Earthen dam of which is about 1225m in length across the river of Mundeni Aru.
The Rajanganaya Dam is an irrigation dam built across the Kala Oya river, at Rajanganaya, bordering the North Western and North Central provinces of Sri Lanka. The main concrete dam measures approximately 350 m (1,150 ft) and creates the Rajanganaya Reservoir, which has a catchment area of 76,863.60 hectares and a total storage capacity of 100.37 million cubic metres.
Iranamadu Tank is an irrigation tank in northern Sri Lanka, approximately 3 mi (5 km) south east of Kilinochchi.
Nachchaduwa wewa is a reservoir near Thammannakulama, Sri Lanka. The reservoir is used to store water brings from Kala Wewa through Yoda Ela channel. The reservoir was severely damaged in 1957 flood and the restoration of the tank was completed in 1958.
The Uma Oya Hydropower Complex (also internally called Uma Oya Multipurpose Development Project or UOMDP) is a irrigation and hydroelectric complex currently under construction in the Badulla District of Sri Lanka. Early assessments of project dates back to 1989, when the first studies was conducted by the country's Central Engineering and Consultancy Bureau. The complex involves building a dam across Dalgolla Oya, and channelling water over a 3,975 m (13,041 ft) tunnel to Mathatilla Oya, both of which are tributaries of the Uma Oya. At Mathatilla Oya, another dam is constructed to channel 145,000,000 m3 (5.1×109 cu ft) of water per annum, via a 15,290 m (50,160 ft) headrace tunnel to the Uma Oya Power Station, where water then discharged to the Alikota Aru via a 3,335 m (10,942 ft) tailrace tunnel. The Alikota Aru is a tributary of the Kirindi Oya.
Malala-Ambilikala Lagoons are two interconnected coastal water-bodies located inside the Bundala National Park, Hambantota District in the Southern Province, Sri Lanka. It is 260 km (160 mi) from Colombo to the arid south. The Malala-Ambilikala Lagoons are two of the three key lagoons located within the Bundala Ramsar wetlands.
The Maduru Oya Dam is an irrigation dam built across the Maduru Oya. The embankment dam measures 1,090 m (3,580 ft) in length, 41 m (135 ft) in height, and creates the Maduru Oya Reservoir. The reservoir has a catchment area of 453 km2 (175 sq mi) and a storage capacity of 596,000,000 cubic metres (2.10×1010 cu ft) The proposed Maduru Oya Solar Power Station is to be built over the surface of the Maduru Oya reservoir.
Yoda Ela or Jaya Ganga, an 87 km (54 mi) long single banking water canal carrying excess water to Tissa Wewa reservoir from Kala Wewa reservoir in Anuradhapura. The Yodha Ela is known for achieving a rather low gradient for its time. The gradient is about 10 centimetres per kilometre or 6 inches per mile.
The tank cascade system, or wewa-ellangava system, is an ancient Sri Lankan irrigation infrastructure. The system is a network of small tanks draining to large reservoirs that store rainwater and surface runoff for later use. Originating in the 1st millennium BCE, the system was designated as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in 2017. Centralized bureaucratic management of large-scale systems was implemented from the 3rd to the 13th centuries.
References
- ↑ Evaluating the performance of farmer companies in Sri Lanka: A case study of Ridi Bendi Ela Farmer Company
- ↑ Intizar, Hussain; R, Perera, L. (2004). Improving agricultural productivity for poverty alleviation through integrated service provision with public-private sector partnerships: Examples and issues. IWMI. ISBN 978-92-9090-536-3.