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Kumbukkan Oya |
Kumbukkan Oya (Sinhala: කුඹුක්කන් ඔය; Tamil: கும்புக்கன் ஆறு) is a river in eastern Sri Lanka. It originates from the Eastern slopes of Namunukula Mountain Range above Monaragala and flows a length of over 116 km before entering the Indian Ocean at Kumana National Park on the southeastern coast of the island.
History
The Kumbukkan River is called in Ptolemy's map as the Baracus Fluvius and in a quaint, undated map (Tabula Asiœ XII.), the same indicated (Lewis, 1914). In Robert Knox's (b.1641-d.1720) Historical Relation map of Ceylon, probably compiled about 1681, the Kumbukkan river is shown unnamed, though Coemena [(present Kumana) Lewis, 1914]. Again, in a French map of 1700, the river is shown by the name Kooboekan-oya, and in the Carte de l' Isla de Ceylon, compiled in 1782, the river is indicated (Lewis, 1914).
The River Basin
The Kumbukkan Oya river basin extends in an area of about 1,232.83 km2 (Arumugam, 1969). The river has a mean annual flow of about 722 million m3 (Arumugam, 1969). The mean annual rainfall varies from 1000 mm to 2500 mm towards the upper catchment from lower valley. Hulanda Oya, the main tributary of the Kumbukkan Oya originates North of Monaragala in Galabedda area. Below the confluence of Hulanda Oya, there are two other tributaries, which joins the Kumbukkan Oya viz. Nambane Oya and Alakola Ara.
Reservoirs & Anicuts in the Kumbukkan Oya River Basin
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#) Hulanda Oya Anicut
#) Kumbukkan Oya Anicut
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#) Kumana Wewa
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There are no storage reservoirs directly built across Kumbukkan Oya at present. However, there are four irrigation schemes operating in Kumbukkan Oya, viz. Kumbukkan Oya Anicut Scheme (2000 Acres), Hulanda Oya Anicut Scheme (225 Acres), Saddhatissa Wewa (450 Acres) and Kumana Wewa (150 Acres). A new reservoir has been proposed to be established across Kumbukkan Oya, near Nakkala town at a point upstream of the confluence of Bellan Oya with the main Kumbukkan Oya.
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References
Books, Journal Articles
1) Arumugam, S., 1969. Water resources of Ceylon: its utilisation and development. Water Resources Board. pp.140-141.
2) Lewis, F., 1914. Notes on an exploration in eastern Uva, and southern Panama Pattu. The Journal of the Ceylon Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain & Ireland, 23(67), pp.276-293.
Location Map
Dynamic Google Map
Attribution
To Whom
1) Kumbukkana Bridge by Jagath Abesekara is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0