Udawalawe Reservoir and Dam

Situated within the Udawalawe National Park, this reservoir is a major construction which provides irrigation facilities to human habitats and cultivation while supplying a valuable amount of power to the national power grid through the hydro power station of the reservoir.
The total capacity of the reservoir is calculated to be 267 MCM while the maximum length and width are calculated to be 8.6 km and 7 km respectively. This reservoir was created by constructing the Udawalawe Dam in order to impound the water from the Walawe River. The Udawalawe Dam is an irrigation dam located in the Southern Province of Sri Lanka. The dam has been made up with a gravity section and an embankment section. This dam is used to generate hydroelectric power (electricity produced from hydro power. The cost of hydroelectricity is relatively low and this makes it a competitive source of renewable energy). The length of this dam is 3.9 kilometeres. The five tainter gates at the eastern end of this dam and the extra spillways found in the centre of the dam helps to control the water level of the reservoir.