Senanayaka Samudraya

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A 140 feet tall 3,600 feet long embankment dam built connecting two hills of Inginiyagala town, the Senanayaka Samudraya is the largest and the most iconic irrigation project in the island. It is the first large scale development in Sri Lankan after independence. The engineering is significant as there hasn’t been any records of leakages, submerges or cracks for the last 60 years, it also requires minimum maintenance compared to the other reservoirs. It is a place not to be missed, if you are visiting the Gal Oya National Park.

The waters of the reservoir are used for hydropower generation and cultivation. With its four generators the Gal Oya Scheme generates 11.25 megawatts of power to the national electricity grid.

The reservoir is named after Sri Lanka’s first prime minister Don Stephen Senanayaka. The project was started in 1949 and was completed in 1953.