Will the Kelani Ganga rise in the next hour?

In the next hour, of the 7 gauges on the Kelani Ganga with a forecast, 2 rising, 1 about the same, 4 falling. This is a forecast from the recent trend, the gauges upstream and rain, not an official warning.

Which gauges are on the Kelani Ganga?

From upstream to downstream: Norwood, Kithulgala, Holombuwa, Deraniyagala, Glencourse, Hanwella, Nagalagam Street.

Where does this come from and how often does it update?

River readings come from the Department of Irrigation's gauges, roughly once an hour, and this page checks for new ones every minute. This site is independent and not an official warning service: follow the Disaster Management Centre and call 117 in an emergency.

Kelani Ganga

3 of 7 gauges at alert or above · updated 12:11 am, 45 min ago

As of Tue, 27 Oct, 12:11 am (Sri Lanka time), 3 of the 7 reporting gauges on the Kelani Ganga are at or above an official mark (Alert, Minor flood or Major flood): Norwood (6.0 ft), Glencourse (49.7 ft), Hanwella (22.0 ft).

An amber warning says minor flooding may affect low-lying areas of the Kelani River Valley in Ruwanwella, Seethawaka, Dompe, Dehiowita, Eheliyagoda, Yatiyantota and Bulathkohupitiya within 24 hours; residents and motorists should exercise extreme caution.

Irrigation Department

River map

GaugeReservoirTap a gauge or reservoir for details.

Upstream

Downstream (sea)

Rain on this river

Fell, 24 h (gauge)Satellite, 24 hForecast, next 24 h

Deraniyagala866517

Glencourse777519

Hanwella478419

Holombuwa1287519

Kithulgala645019

Nagalagam Streetno rain sensor8619

Norwood714217

Gauge = what the gauge's sensor recorded. Satellite and forecast are estimates over the hills above each gauge. It can differ from the gauges.

Rain map

When does the Kelani Ganga flood?

Flood warnings come mostly between October and December, with a smaller peak in May.

It’s October: the main flood season here. Worth checking levels daily after heavy rain.

Recent floods

26 Oct 2026Holombuwa (minor flood)
14 Oct 2026Holombuwa (minor flood)
8 Oct 2026Holombuwa (minor flood)
Biggest since 2022:27 Nov – 3 Dec 2025Deraniyagala, Glencourse +5 (major flood)

Every day since 2022, year by year

Official flood map

The Irrigation Department has mapped where past floods on the Kelani Ganga reached:

2016 major flood: 372 Grama Niladhari divisions in 22 divisional secretariat areas: Colombo, Homagama, Kaduwela, Kolonnawa, Padukka, Seethawaka, Sri Jayawardanapura Kotte, Thimbirigasyaya, and 14 more
2012 minor flood: 151 Grama Niladhari divisions in 8 divisional secretariat areas: Homagama, Kaduwela, Padukka, Seethawaka, Biyagama, Dompe, Dehiowita, Ruwanwella
1989 critical flood: 389 Grama Niladhari divisions in 22 divisional secretariat areas: Homagama, Kaduwela, Kolonnawa, Maharagama, Padukka, Seethawaka, Sri Jayawardanapura Kotte, Biyagama, and 14 more

This shows where a past flood reached, not a flood now. A bigger flood can go further.

Flood maps: Irrigation Department of Sri Lanka

Reservoirs on this river

In the newsNews reports, not official.

RiverSource: Daily Mirror26 Oct, 7:31 pm (5 h ago)
Flood warnings issued for Kelani, Attanagalu Oya basins(opens the news site in a new tab)
The Irrigation Department has issued a minor flood warning for low-lying areas of the Kelani River Valley, covering the Divisional…
RiverSource: Newswire26 Oct, 7:10 pm (6 h ago)
Amber flood warning issued for low-lying areas of Kelani and Attanagalu river basins(opens the news site in a new tab)
The Department of Irrigation has issued Amber flood warnings for low-lying areas in the Kelani River and Attanagalu Oya basins…

Flood help & emergency numbers

Common questions

Is Kelani Ganga flooding now?: As of Tue, 27 Oct, 12:11 am (Sri Lanka time), 3 of the 7 reporting gauges on the Kelani Ganga are at or above an official mark (Alert, Minor flood or Major flood): Norwood (6.0 ft), Glencourse (49.7 ft), Hanwella (22.0 ft).
Will the Kelani Ganga rise in the next hour?: In the next hour, of the 7 gauges on the Kelani Ganga with a forecast, 2 rising, 1 about the same, 4 falling. This is a forecast from the recent trend, the gauges upstream and rain, not an official warning.
Which gauges are on the Kelani Ganga?: From upstream to downstream: Norwood, Kithulgala, Holombuwa, Deraniyagala, Glencourse, Hanwella, Nagalagam Street.
Where does this come from and how often does it update?: River readings come from the Department of Irrigation's gauges, roughly once an hour, and this page checks for new ones every minute. This site is independent and not an official warning service: follow the Disaster Management Centre and call 117 in an emergency.