Madu Ganga (River Madu)

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.