Madu Ganga

The Madu Ganga is a shallow water body in south-west Sri Lanka, which enters the sea at Balapitiya.

The Buddhist Amarapura Nikaya sect had its first upasampada (higher ordination ceremony) on a fleet of boats anchored upon it in 1803. The Buddhist Kothduwa temple is situated on an isolated island in the lake.

Together with the smaller Randombe Lake, to which it is connected by two narrow channels, it forms the Madu Ganga wetland. Its estuary and the many mangrove islets on it constitute a complex coastal wetland ecosystem. In has high ecological, biological and aesthetic significance, being home to 303 species of plants belonging to 95 families and to 248 species of vertebrate animals. It might be one of the last remaining tracts of pristine mangrove forests in Sri Lanka.

The inhabitants of its islets produce peeled cinnamon and cinnamon oil.

The Maduganga Wetland was declared in 2003, in terms of the Ramsar Convention.

References

External links

Inland waters of Sri Lanka

Dams and reservoirs

With hydroelectric capabilities	Bowatenna Broadlands Canyon Castlereigh Deduru Oya Gal Oya Kotmale Kukule Ganga Laxapana Maskeliya Moragahakanda Nilambe Norton Polgolla Randenigala Rantembe Samanala Udawalawe Upper Kotmale Victoria

Irrigation-only (incl. ancient tanks)	Beira Lake Diyawanna Giant's Tank Giritale Tank Inginimitiya Iranamadu Tank Kala Wewa Kalu Ganga Kandalama Kandy Lake Kantale Lake Gregory Lunugamwehera Maduru Oya Minneriya Tank Muthuiyankaddu Kulam Rajanganaya Rambakan Oya Ratkinda Tissa Wewa (Anuradhapura) Tissa Wewa (Tissamaharama) Ulhitiya Vavuni Kulam

Lagoons

East coast	Batticaloa Lagoon Chalai Lagoon Chundikkulam Lagoon Kokkilai Lagoon Kokkilai Lagoon Nai Aru Lagoon Nanthi Lagoon Ullackalie Lagoon Upaar Lagoon Vadamarachchi Lagoon Valaichchenai Lagoon

West coast	Jaffna Lagoon Mundal Lagoon Negombo Lagoon Puttalam Lagoon Uppu Aru Lagoon

Rivers

≥100km	Deduru Oya Gal Oya Gin Ganga Kala Oya Kalu Ganga (Kukule Ganga) Kelani River (Kehelgamu Oya Maskeliya Oya Pusweli Oya) Kirindi Oya Kumbukkan Oya Maduru Oya Maha Oya Mahaweli River (Amban Ganga Kotmale Oya Nanu Oya) Malvathu River Menik Ganga Mi Oya Walawe River (Belihul Oya) Yan Oya

<100km	Akkarayan Aru Kanakarayan Aru Kodalikkallu Aru Madu Ganga Mandekal Aru Mavil Aru Nay Aru (Mannar) Nay Aru (Mullaitivu) Netheli Aru Pali Aru Pallavarayankaddu Aru Parangi Aru Per Aru Piramenthal Aru Theravil Aru Valukkai Aru Verugal Aru

Related organizations

Mahaweli Authority
Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources Management

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