Gal Oya

River in Sri Lanka

Gal
Gal Oya Dam in Gal Oya
Location
Country	Sri Lanka
Physical characteristics

Source
• elevation	1,524 m (5,000 ft)

Mouth	Indian Ocean
• location	Oluvil
• coordinates	07°18′01″N 81°51′54″E / 7.30028°N 81.86500°E / 7.30028; 81.86500
Length	108 km (67 mi)

The Gal Oya is a 108 km (67 mi) long river, in southeast Sri Lanka. It is the 16th longest river in Sri Lanka.^[1] It begins in the hills east of Badulla and flows northeast, emptying into the Indian Ocean south of Kalmunai.^[2]

The river was dammed in 1948 as part of the Gal Oya scheme. The dam created the Senanayake Samudra — the largest reservoir in Sri Lanka, at Bintenne. Resettlement of the Tamils and Sinhalese people displaced in this scheme gave rise to among the first ethnic riots in Sri Lanka.^[3]

The Gal Oya project resulted in the formation of the 100,000 acre Gal Oya basin. This basin has since been used for cultivating paddy, chillies, sugarcane and potatoes. The Gal Oya National Park in the vicinity has a wide variety of wildlife including bears, leopards and elephants. ^[4]

References

^ "The Gal Oya Legacy – Past and Present". The Pearl, Lanka. Archived from the original on 31 October 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
^ Withanage, N.S. Morphometric Analysis of the Gal Oya River Basin Us ing Spatial Data Derived from GIS (PDF). Retrieved 5 August 2015.
^ Encyclopædia Britannica – Gal Oya River. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
^ Fernando, Srimal. "Gal Oya river and valley : an eye witness account". Srimal's Blog. Blogspot. Retrieved 5 August 2015.

Inland waters of Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan irrigation network
- Tank cascade system
Mahaweli Authority
Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources Management

Rivers

≥100km	Deduru Oya Gal Oya Gin Ganga Kala Oya Kalu Ganga Kukule Ganga Kelani River Kehelgamu Oya Maskeliya Oya Pusweli Oya Kirindi Oya Kumbukkan Oya Maduru Oya Maha Oya Malwathu Oya Amban Ganga Kotmale Oya Nanu Oya Mahaweli Ganga Menik Ganga Mi Oya Walawe River Belihul Oya Yan Oya
<100km	Akkarayan Aru Kanakarayan Aru Kodalikkallu Aru Madu Ganga Mandekal Aru Mavil Aru Nay Aru (Mannar) Nay Aru (Mullaitivu) Netheli Aru Nilwala River Pali Aru Pallavarayankaddu Aru Parangi Aru Per Aru Piramenthal Aru Theravil Aru Valukkai Aru Verugal Aru

Lakes

Lagoons

Eastern coast	Batticaloa Lagoon Chalai Lagoon Chundikkulam Lagoon Kokkilai Lagoon Nai Aru Lagoon Nanthi Lagoon Ullackalie Lagoon Upaar Lagoon Vadamarachchi Lagoon Valaichchenai Lagoon
Western coast	Jaffna Lagoon Mundal Lagoon Negombo Lagoon Puttalam Lagoon Uppu Aru Lagoon
Southern coast	Koggala Lagoon Rekawa Lagoon Malala-Ambilikala Lagoons

Dams and
reservoirs

With hydroelectric capabilities	Bowatenna Broadlands Canyon Castlereigh Deduru Oya Dyraaba Gal Oya Kotmale Kukule Ganga Laxapana Maskeliya Moragahakanda Moragolla Nilambe Norton Polgolla Randenigala Rantembe Samanala Udawalawe Upper Kotmale Victoria
Irrigation-only (incl. ancient tanks)	Abhayavapi Diyawanna Giant's Tank Giritale Tank Inginimitiya Iranamadu Tank Kala Wewa Kalu Ganga Kandalama Kantale Konduwattuwana Wewa Lake Gregory Lunugamwehera Maduru Oya Minneriya Tank Muthuiyankaddu Kulam Nachchaduwa wewa Parakrama Samudra Puhulpola Rajanganaya Rambakan Oya Ratkinda Sorabora Wewa Tissa Wewa (Anuradhapura) Tissa Wewa (Tissamaharama) Ulhitiya Vavuni Kulam

With hydroelectric
capabilities