Abstract:
Reservoirs have been used for thousands of years to regulate river flows and ensure adequate supply
of water during dry periods. There will be a need for more reservoirs and dams in the future, as water
consumption rises due to population increase. However, in recent years new reservoirs have been
constructed in Sri Lanka giving both positive and negative impacts in the particular area. Wemedilla
Reservoir located in Galewela DS Division has been selected for this research in order to find out the
socio-economic and environmental impacts in the study area due to the Wemedilla Reservoir
construction. The objectives of this research are to find the economic impacts caused by Wemedilla
Reservoir and to identify the measures to mitigate the negative impacts. Primary data have been
collected within the study area through questionnaire survey, interviews and field observations.
Secondary data have been collected from the Divisional Secretariat Division of Galewela, Irrigation
Office of Dambulla and published and unpublished materials. Microsoft Excel 2013 used for the data
analysis. Further this study assesses the positive and negative impacts of Wemedilla Reservoir in the
study area. Tourism, Agricultural Activities, Livelihood Development and Regional Development are
some of the Positive Economic Impacts through the Wemedilla Reservoir in the study area. Loss of
agricultural Lands and Improper relief are other negative economic impacts caused by the Wemedilla
Reservoir. This research suggests some recommendations to mitigate the negative economic impact.
