Senanayake Samudraya

Senanayake Samudraya (Sinhala: සේනානායක සමූද්‍රය, Tamil: சேனானாயக்க சமூத்ரய) is the biggest reservoir and man-made lake in Sri Lanka. It is locally known as the sea (Sinhala:සමූද්‍රය,Tamil :கடல்). Senanayake Samudraya was opened on 28 August 1949 under the Gal Oya Multipurpose Scheme, which was completed in 1953 by D. S. Senanayake.[1]

Main article: Gal Oya Dam

Senanayake Samudraya
Location of Senanayake Samudraya in Sri Lanka
CountrySri Lanka
LocationAmpara District
Coordinates7.2138°N 81.5432°E / 7.2138; 81.5432
PurposeIrrigation
StatusOperational
Construction began24 August 1949 (1949-08-24)
Opening date1953 (1953)
Owner(s)MIWRM
Dam and spillways
Type of damEmbankment dam
ImpoundsGal Oya
Reservoir
CreatesSenanayake Samudhraya
Total capacity950,000,000m3

Senanayake Samudraya was formed by damming the Gal Oya river and other smaller rivers in between a pair of mountains in Inginiyagala.

Senanayake Samudraya[2] is the largest and one of the most iconic reservoirs with an earthen dam built after receiving freedom from the British and was completed in 1953. [3] The reservoir is sometimes referred to as “Inginiyagala Reservoir”. The Senanayaka Samudraya is part of the Gal Oya multipurpose irrigation system project which started in the year 1949 and completed in 1953 by the first prime minister of Sri Lanka, D. S. Senanayake.

Tourism
Main article: Gal Oya National Park

The Senanayake Samudraya is the largest body of water ever created in Sri Lanka. Cradled between Siyabalanduwa and Ampara, the reservoir is bordered by the rising mountains of Inginiyagala. There is a national park near Senanayake Samudraya, known as the Gal Oya National Park,[4] which is home to lots of wildlife, including more than 200 elephants, as well as bears and leopards.[5] A development of the Gal Oya Project,[6] the reservoir that irrigates the dry lands of the east of Sri Lanka, the lake attracts thousands of visitors annually.[7] It is one of the major tourist attractions in Sri Lanka.[8]

Reference
  1. "Senanayake Samudraya || Surface Water || Things to Do || Tour Sri Lanka". toursrilanka.travel. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  2. Sri Lanka, the Emerging Wonder of Asia: Unstoppable Sri Lanka, 2020 : Mahinda Chintana, Vision for the Future : Public Investment Strategy, 2014-2016. Department of National Planning, Ministry of Finance and National Planning. 2013. ISBN 978-955-8514-02-3.
  3. Lanka, National Science Council of Sri (1991). Journal of the National Science Council of Sri Lanka. National Science Council.
  4. "Senanayaka Samudraya, Largest and most iconic irrigation project in Sri Lanka - 2021 tourism guide". Discover Sri Lanka. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  5. "Gal Oya | river, Sri Lanka". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  6. "Tourist Attractions in Sri Lanka". srilanka.travel. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  7. "Senanayake Samudraya". Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  8. "Senananayake Samudraya". AmazingLanka.com. 26 December 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
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