The following is a list of rivers in Sri Lanka. Rivers shorter than 100 km (62 mi) are not included in this list.
| Rank | Name | Source | Destination | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mahaweli River | Adam's Peak | Trincomalee | 335 km (208 mi) |
| 2 | Malvathu River | Anuradhapura | Mannar | 164 km (102 mi) |
| 3 | Kala Oya | 148 km (92 mi) | ||
| 4 | Kelani River | Adam's Peak | Colombo | 145 km (90 mi) |
| 5 | Yan Oya | 142 km (88 mi) | ||
| 6 | Deduru Oya | 142 km (88 mi) | ||
| 7 | Walawe Ganga | Adam's Peak | Ambalanthota | 138 km (86 mi) |
| 8 | Maduru Oya | 135 km (84 mi) | ||
| 9 | Maha Oya | Negombo | 134 km (83 mi) | |
| 10 | Kalu River | Adam's Peak | Kalutara | 129 km (80 mi) |
| 11 | Kirindi Oya | 117 km (73 mi) | ||
| 12 | Kumbukkan Oya | 116 km (72 mi) | ||
| 13 | Menik Oya | 114 km (71 mi) | ||
| 14 | Gin River | Deniyaya | Galle | 113 km (70 mi) |
| 15 | Mi Oya | Puttalam | 109 km (68 mi) | |
| 16 | Gal Oya | 108 km (67 mi) |
Mahaweli River
A significant river in Sri Lanka the Mahaweli River is the country’s lifeblood in many ways as it serves both as a source of electricity and as a source of fertile land. The drainage basin for this river is incredibly large and covers an area that is almost equal to a fifth of the island’s entire size. The Mahaweli is also the longest river in Sri Lanka and originates from the Hatton Plateau that is located on the Western side of the country’s hill side. From this point it proceeds to flow through an area that is dominated by tea and rubber growing takes a turn to the east before reaching the city of Kandy. It eventually passes through Trincomalee and ends up in the Bay of Bengal. From here onwards it still carries on in the form of a major submarine canyon which allows it to function as one of the finest deep sea harbours in the world.
The Mahaweli River plays a major role in Sri Lanka’s power generation as several parts of the river have been dammed in order to facilitate the creation of various hydro electricity power plants that generate a sizeable part of the countries electricity. It is for this reason that Sri Lanka’s primary source of power is through hydro-electricity.
Farming and agriculture also plays an important part in the country and it is here again that river has shown its dual purpose. The damming of the river has also provided water in numerous areas that has been siphoned off for irrigation purposes.
The Mahaweli River has always played an important role in Sri Lanka and it will continue to do so well in to the future.
