Madu
Ganga, the third Ramsar wetland in Sri Lanka, is located 80 kilometres south of Colombo. It is 915
hectares in extent comprising 770 hectares of water and a land area of 145
hectares. The river Madu has an average depth of 2.5 metres and flows into the
sea at Balapitiya. It is fed by several streams, which include Magala Ela, Lenagala Ela, Unagaswala Ela and
Seenigoda Ela.
Initially
home to 64 islands, today Madu Ganga has only 36 islands, which include Maduwa, Galmanduwa, Kothduwa, Dikduwa,
Meemadua, Dimiduwa, Naiduwa, Muwandua, Gonaduwa, Katuduwa, Madaduwa and Sathapahaduwa. The largest island is
Maduwa (aka Mahaduwa), which is 39
hectares in extent. The Sathapahaduwa is the smallest and shaped like a
five-cent coin. It has a small shrine dedicated to God Kataragama, one of the
four guardian deities of Sri Lanka. An ancient Buddhist temple is located on
Kothduwa and it is believed that the Sacred Tooth of Buddha, which was regarded
as the palladium of the Sinhalese kings, had once been kept there for safety
during the Portuguese invasion of the country. The tranquil location is also
claimed to have enabled the composition of many literary works including the
message poem, Ofisara Sandeshaya.
Many of the
islanders engage in traditional fishing using outrigger canoes and fish kraals
such as mas athu, jakotu and karakgedi. Some are cinnamon feelers
while others make coir ropes for a living. They are more than happy to
demonstrate their trade skills and relate the stories of their laid-back life on
the islands running into several generations.
The Madu
Ganga is high in biodiversity with 115 species of birds and 302 plant species enhancing
its beauty. Maha kadol, mal kadol and
kirala, whose juicy fruit is used to prepare a nutritious beverage, gin pol belonging to the palm family and
kerankoku, a fern species used to
make delicious mallun, are among the
14 mangrove species considered the star attraction of the wetland. In certain
places, the mangroves growing on the river embankments have formed tree
canopies creating ‘tree tunnels’ for visitors to pass through. The rare
mangrove species, Rathamilla, which
is considered endangered and listed in the IUCN red data book, is found only on
Pathamulla, another island belonging to the wetland. Katuduwa studded with
thorny bushes lays claim to a centuries-old giant pus
wela, a vine typically found in wet-zone rain forests.
