Kelani River
Encyclopedia
The Kelani River is a 145 kilometres (90 mi) river in Sri Lanka
. Ranking as the fourth longest river in the country, it stretches from the Sri Pada Mountain Range to Colombo
. It covers approximately 80% of the water supply to Colombo. In addition to that, the river is used for transport
, fisheries, sewage disposal, sand mining
and for production of hydroelectricity
. Due to these, many people depend on the river for their daily routine in life. Depending on the operation of three reservoir
s, the river flow varies from 20 cubic metre to 25 cubic metre in the dry seasons, and 800 cubic metre to 1500 cubic metre during the monsoons. The annual sand extraction from the river is approximately 600000 square metre to 800000 square metre per year. From a barge
, people dive to the river bed, from where the sand is lifted to the barge in a bucket, and when the barge is full, it is taken to the river bank unloaded by a separate team. The sand mining causes the river bed to sink by approximately 10 cm (4 in) per year. At present, two main concerns in connection with the river are flooding during the monsoon
and saline intrusion in the dry season.
The problems are related; the saline intrusion is enhanced by the deepening of the river caused by the sand mining. Regulation in order to prevent the saline intrusion can reduce the water quality in other ways, and can increase the flood risk. Sand mining is economically important for both nationally and to the many involved people.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
. Ranking as the fourth longest river in the country, it stretches from the Sri Pada Mountain Range to Colombo
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
. It covers approximately 80% of the water supply to Colombo. In addition to that, the river is used for transport
Transport
Transport or transportation is the movement of people, cattle, animals and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, rail, road, water, cable, pipeline, and space. The field can be divided into infrastructure, vehicles, and operations...
, fisheries, sewage disposal, sand mining
Sand mining
Sand mining is a practice that is becoming an environmental issue as the demand for sand increases in industry and construction. Sand is mined from beaches and inland dunes and dredged from ocean beds and river beds. It is often used in manufacturing as an abrasive, for example, and it is used to...
and for production of hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
. Due to these, many people depend on the river for their daily routine in life. Depending on the operation of three reservoir
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
s, the river flow varies from 20 cubic metre to 25 cubic metre in the dry seasons, and 800 cubic metre to 1500 cubic metre during the monsoons. The annual sand extraction from the river is approximately 600000 square metre to 800000 square metre per year. From a barge
Barge
A barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods. Some barges are not self-propelled and need to be towed by tugboats or pushed by towboats...
, people dive to the river bed, from where the sand is lifted to the barge in a bucket, and when the barge is full, it is taken to the river bank unloaded by a separate team. The sand mining causes the river bed to sink by approximately 10 cm (4 in) per year. At present, two main concerns in connection with the river are flooding during the monsoon
Monsoon
Monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea...
and saline intrusion in the dry season.
The problems are related; the saline intrusion is enhanced by the deepening of the river caused by the sand mining. Regulation in order to prevent the saline intrusion can reduce the water quality in other ways, and can increase the flood risk. Sand mining is economically important for both nationally and to the many involved people.
See also
- Geography of Sri LankaGeography of Sri LankaSri Lanka, also sometimes called Ceylon, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean, located in Southern Asia, southeast of India, in a strategic location near major Indian Ocean sea lanes. It has a total area of 65,610 km², with 64,740 km² of land and 870 km² of water. Its coastline is...
- List of rivers in Sri Lanka
- Kelani River-Peliyagoda WaterdromeKelani River-Peliyagoda WaterdromeKelani River-Peliyagoda Waterdome, also called Sri Lankan Waterdrome is an open water Aerodrome facility for use by Seaplanes on Kelani River, in the Peliyagoda suburb of Colombo, Sri Lanka-Services:...