The Victoria Dam and the Reservoir

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Amid the rolling green hills blanketed with tea plantations and forests stands Victoria Dam, the tallest dam in Sri Lanka. Located about an hour’s drive from Kandy, the historic capital of the last kingdom of Sinhale, this impressive structure rises within a stunning valley of the central highlands.

Construction and Historical Background

Considered the crown jewel of the Mahaweli Development Project, Victoria Dam was constructed across the Mahaweli River in a deep valley just above the rapids known as Victoria Falls and approximately 300 meters below the confluence where the Hulu Ganga joins the Mahaweli River.

Construction of the dam commenced in 1978, and the project was ceremonially opened in 1985 by Margaret Thatcher, then the Prime Minister of the UK. The undertaking was funded and supported with design and technical expertise from the United Kingdom. One of the most memorable moments during its construction occurred on October 24, 1981, when Queen Elizabeth II visited the site while the dam was still under construction.

Engineering and Structure

Victoria Dam measures 520 meters in length and rises to a height of 122 meters. The crest of the dam is about 6 meters wide, while its base expands to approximately 25 meters. The structure was designed as a double-curvature arch dam, an engineering form that efficiently distributes water pressure along the valley walls.

Water from the reservoir is conveyed to the powerhouse through a tunnel measuring 5,646 meters in length. Within this tunnel are three penstocks with a diameter of 6.2 meters each. These penstocks create a net hydraulic head of 190 meters, supplying water to three turbines rated at 70 megawatts and operating at 12.5 kilovolts. Together they are capable of generating up to 780 gigawatt-hours of electrical energy annually.

Spillways and Hydraulic Features

The dam contains eight spillway gates, each measuring approximately 12.5 meters in width and 6.5 meters in height. These gates automatically open when water levels rise beyond the designated limit. Remarkably, the gates require mechanical power only for closing operations. This innovative mechanism earned recognition from the Institution of Civil Engineers with an award for Innovative Design in Civil Engineering.

The combined effective width of the spillways is about 100 meters, enabling a maximum discharge of roughly 8,200 cubic meters of water per second. Additionally, two low-level sluices located at the base of the dam allow the removal of accumulated sediment from the reservoir.

The Victoria Reservoir

The dam forms the vast Victoria Reservoir, which covers a surface area of about 22.7 square kilometers and has a gross storage capacity of approximately 722,000,000 cubic meters of water. Beneath these waters lies the former town of Teldeniya, which was submerged when the reservoir was filled. During exceptionally dry periods, the remains of this submerged settlement occasionally reappear, giving rise to the eerie sight of a “ghost town” emerging from the waters.

Visiting the Dam

Tickets / Entrance Fees

Access to the Victoria Dam Observation area is free of charge for locals and foreigners. The area is opened for the public from 6 AM to 4 PM.

Access

Access to Victoria Dam is possible from the northeastern side of the Kandy–Mahiyangana Road. The nearby observation center offers sweeping views of the dam, the reservoir, and the surrounding mountain landscape.

Travelers starting from Kandy should proceed about 32 kilometers along the A26 Road, passing through Kundasale and Rajawella. At Moragahamula Junction, turn toward the Victoria Dam Observation Point and continue for another 8 kilometers to reach the viewpoint overlooking this monumental engineering achievement.

Victoria Dam from the opposite site of the observation point

The dried up Mahaweli River and the landscape below the Dam

Also See

Map of The Victoria Dam and the Reservoir

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