# List of rivers of Sri Lanka

The following table lists most rivers of Sri Lanka. Since Sri Lanka is a trilingual country, some rivers may have a Sinhala name (i.e. Kalu Ganga), while other have an English name (i.e. Kelani River). There are two words meaning "river" in the Sinhala language, namely Ganga (ගඟ) and Oya (ඔය), of which the usage of both terms is arbitrary. At 335 km (208 mi), the Mahaweli River is the longest river on the island, its drainage basin covering more than one-fifth of the island. It is estimated that there are 103 rivers in Sri Lanka.

## List of major rivers (over 100km in length)

| Name | Length | Source | Drainage | Location of mouth |
| Mahaweli River | 335 km (208 mi) | Horton Plains | Trincomalee | 08°27′34″N 81°13′46″E﻿ / ﻿8.45944°N 81.22944°E﻿ / 8.45944; 81.22944﻿ (Mahaweli River) |
| Malvathu River | 164 km (102 mi) | Inamaluwa Mountains | Vankalai | 08°48′08″N 79°55′40″E﻿ / ﻿8.80222°N 79.92778°E﻿ / 8.80222; 79.92778﻿ (Malvathu River) |
| Kala Oya | 148 km (92 mi) | Omaragolla Mountains | Gangevadiya Wilpattu | 08°17′41″N 79°50′23″E﻿ / ﻿8.29472°N 79.83972°E﻿ / 8.29472; 79.83972﻿ (Kala Oya) |
| Kelani River | 145 km (90 mi) | Baththulu Oya | Colombo | 06°58′44″N 79°52′12″E﻿ / ﻿6.97889°N 79.87000°E﻿ / 6.97889; 79.87000﻿ (Kelani River) |
| Yan Oya | 142 km (88 mi) | Ritigala | Pulmoddai | 08°55′04″N 81°00′58″E﻿ / ﻿8.91778°N 81.01611°E﻿ / 8.91778; 81.01611﻿ (Yan Oya) |
| Deduru Oya | 142 km (88 mi) | Gommuna Mountains | Chilaw | 07°36′50″N 79°48′12″E﻿ / ﻿7.61389°N 79.80333°E﻿ / 7.61389; 79.80333﻿ (Deduru Oya) |
| Walawe River | 138 km (86 mi) | Belihul Oya | Ambalantota | 06°06′19″N 81°00′57″E﻿ / ﻿6.10528°N 81.01583°E﻿ / 6.10528; 81.01583﻿ (Walawe River) |
| Maduru Oya | 135 km (84 mi) | Akurugala Mountains | Kalkudah | 07°56′24″N 81°33′05″E﻿ / ﻿7.94000°N 81.55139°E﻿ / 7.94000; 81.55139﻿ (Maduru Oya) |
| Maha Oya | 134 km (83 mi) | Rakshawa Mountains | Kochchikade | 07°16′21″N 79°50′34″E﻿ / ﻿7.27250°N 79.84278°E﻿ / 7.27250; 79.84278﻿ (Maha Oya) |
| Kalu Ganga | 129 km (80 mi) | Peak Wilderness Sanctuary | Kalutara | 06°34′10″N 79°57′44″E﻿ / ﻿6.56944°N 79.96222°E﻿ / 6.56944; 79.96222﻿ (Kalu Ganga) |
| Kirindi Oya | 117 km (73 mi) | Namunukula | Bundala | 06°11′39″N 81°17′34″E﻿ / ﻿6.19417°N 81.29278°E﻿ / 6.19417; 81.29278﻿ (Kirindi Oya) |
| Kumbukkan Oya | 116 km (72 mi) | Lunugala | Kumana | 06°48′36″N 81°49′25″E﻿ / ﻿6.81000°N 81.82361°E﻿ / 6.81000; 81.82361﻿ (Kumbukkan Oya) |
| Menik Ganga | 114 km (71 mi) | Namunukula | Yala | 06°21′49″N 81°31′45″E﻿ / ﻿6.36361°N 81.52917°E﻿ / 6.36361; 81.52917﻿ (Menik Ganga) |
| Gin Ganga | 113 km (70 mi) | Kabaragala Mountains | Gintota | 06°03′47″N 80°10′27″E﻿ / ﻿6.06306°N 80.17417°E﻿ / 6.06306; 80.17417﻿ (Menik Ganga) |
| Mi Oya | 109 km (68 mi) | Kuda Madagala Mountains | Puttalam North | 08°05′44″N 79°48′37″E﻿ / ﻿8.09556°N 79.81028°E﻿ / 8.09556; 79.81028﻿ (Mi Oya) |
| Gal Oya | 108 km (67 mi) | Hewa Eliya Mountains | Oluvil | 07°18′01″N 81°51′54″E﻿ / ﻿7.30028°N 81.86500°E﻿ / 7.30028; 81.86500﻿ (Gal Oya) |

## List of minor rivers (up to 100km in length)

| Name | Length | Source | Drainage | Location of mouth |
| Attanagalu Oya | 76 km (47 mi) | Kegalle District | Negombo Lagoon | |
| Nilwala Ganga | 72 km (45 mi) | Rakwana Mountains | Indian Ocean | 5°57′N 80°32′E |
| Kanakarayan Aru | 70 km (43 mi) | Semamadu Kulam | Chundikkulam Lagoon | |
| Kotmale River | 70 km (43 mi) | Horton Plains National Park | Mahaweli River | |
| Parangi Aru | 60 km (37 mi) | Vavuniya District | Palk Strait | |
| Kehelgamu Oya | 50 km (31 mi) | Horton Plains | Kelani River | |
| Pali Aru | 50 km (31 mi) | Puliyankulam | Palk Strait | |
| Maskeliya Oya | 40 km (25 mi) | Peak Wilderness Sanctuary | Kelani River | |
| Nay Aru | 40 km (25 mi) | Vavuniya District | Palk Strait | |
| Per Aru | 32 km (20 mi) | Vavuniya District | Nanthi Lagoon | |
| Mandekal Aru | 30 km (19 mi) | Mullaitivu District | Palk Strait | |
| Nanu Oya | 27 km (17 mi) | Pidurutalagala | Kotmale River | |
| Pallavarayankaddu Aru | 27 km (17 mi) | Mullaitivu District | Palk Strait | |
| Akkarayan Aru | 25 km (16 mi) | Mullaitivu District | Jaffna Lagoon | |
| Netheli Aru | 24 km (15 mi) | Mullaitivu District | Chundikkulam Lagoon | |
| Theravil Aru | 23 km (14 mi) | Mullaitivu District | Chundikkulam Lagoon | |
| Nay Aru | 20 km (12 mi) | Mullaitivu District | Nai Aru Lagoon | |
| Piramenthal Aru | 20 km (12 mi) | Mullaitivu District | Chundikkulam Lagoon | |
| Kodalikkallu Aru | 19 km (12 mi) | Mullaitivu District | Nanthi Lagoon | |
| Valukkai Aru | 16 km (10 mi) | Jaffna District | Jaffna Lagoon | |
| Kukule River | | | | 06°39′10″N 80°05′42″E﻿ / ﻿6.65278°N 80.09500°E﻿ / 6.65278; 80.09500﻿ (Kukule River) |
| Madu Ganga | | | | |
| Mavil Aru | | | | |
| Pusweli Oya | | | | |
| Verugal Aru | | | | |
Malala oya - Hambanthota District karanda Oya - Potuvil Ampara District Heda Oya - Arugambay (Arunagamthota), Ampare District wil oya - Ampara District

## Gallery

* Mahaweli River, Teldeniya
* Malvathu River, Anuradhapura
* Kelani River, Kitulgala
* Castlereigh Reservoir on Kehelgamu Oya, a tributary of Kelani River
* Maskeliya Oya, a tributary of Kelani River
* Deduru Oya, Chilaw
* Walawe River, Udawalawe Dam
* Belihul Oya, a tributary of Walawe River
* Maha Oya, Pinnawala
* Kalu Ganga, Ratnapura