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Usgala Siyambalangamuwa Wewa |
Usgala Siyambalangamuwa Wewa (Sinhala: උස්ගල සියඹලාන්ගමුව වැව) is a reservoir in Siyambalangamuwa village in Kurunegala District, Sri Lanka. It is situated between the Galgamuwa and Rajanganaya reservoirs.
History
The history of Usgala Siyambalangamuwa Wewa runs back to the 3rd century A.D. The tank is believed to be one of the works of King Mahasena (276-301 A.D.) of Anuradhapura (Arumugam, 1969). The tank was augmented by linking it to the Kala Wewa through a 16-mile channel by King Mahinda II (777-797 A.D.) of Anuradhapura and at the time it was known as Santinigamakavapi (Arumugam, 1969). During the time of King Buvanekabahu VII (1521-1550 A.D.) of Kotte, it is said to have benefited about 750 acres (Arumugam, 1969).
Over time, the tank turned into ruins. It was investigated for restoration in 1878 by Cotterill and restoration was taken up in 1955 (Arumugam, 1969).
The Reservoir
Usgala Siyambalangamuwa reservoir is one of the tanks in the Kala Oya River Basin. The reservoir bund is about 4,700 m long and has a storage capacity of 22,000 acre feet (Arumugam, 1969). The water extends over about 1,900 acres at its full supply level (Arumugam, 1969). The reservoir has 2 sluices and 2 spills (Arumugam, 1969). The water is used for irrigation purposes in the area.
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References
Books
1) Arumugam, S., 1969. Water resources of Ceylon: its utilisation and development. Water Resources Board. p.347.
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Attribution
To Whom
LankaPradeepa.com extends its gratitude to Mrs Badra Kamaladasa (Former Director General of Irrigation) for providing the necessary photographs required for this article. All the photos are published here with the permission of the author.