Will the Nilwala Ganga rise in the next hour?

In the next hour, of the 4 gauges on the Nilwala Ganga with a forecast, 1 rising, 3 about the same. This is a forecast from the recent trend, the gauges upstream and rain, not an official warning.

Which gauges are on the Nilwala Ganga?

From upstream to downstream: Pitabeddara, Urawa, Panadugama, Thalgahagoda.

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.

Nilwala Ganga

3 of 4 gauges at alert or above · updated 12:19 am, 37 min ago

As of Tue, 27 Oct, 12:19 am (Sri Lanka time), 3 of the 4 reporting gauges on the Nilwala Ganga are at or above an official mark (Alert, Minor flood or Major flood): Urawa (8.3 ft), Panadugama (20.6 ft), Thalgahagoda (4.7 ft).

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

Panadugama6114025

Pitabeddara4114825

Thalgahagoda2413125

Urawa7214825

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 Nilwala Ganga flood?

Flood warnings come mostly between October and December.

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

Recent floods

13 Oct – 20 Oct 2026Panadugama, Thalgahagoda (minor flood)
24 Sep – 28 Sep 2026Panadugama, Thalgahagoda (minor flood)
20 Sep – 21 Sep 2026Panadugama (minor flood)
Biggest since 2022:2 Nov – 7 Dec 2023Panadugama, Pitabeddara +2 (major flood) · estimated

Every day since 2022, year by year

Official flood map

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

2017: 279 Grama Niladhari divisions in 14 divisional secretariat areas: Akuressa, Athuraliya, Devinuwara, Kaburupitiya, Kirinda Puhulwella, Kotapola, Malimbada, Matara Four Gravets, and 6 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

KekanaduraHolding

Flood help & emergency numbers

Common questions

Is Nilwala Ganga flooding now?: As of Tue, 27 Oct, 12:19 am (Sri Lanka time), 3 of the 4 reporting gauges on the Nilwala Ganga are at or above an official mark (Alert, Minor flood or Major flood): Urawa (8.3 ft), Panadugama (20.6 ft), Thalgahagoda (4.7 ft).
Will the Nilwala Ganga rise in the next hour?: In the next hour, of the 4 gauges on the Nilwala Ganga with a forecast, 1 rising, 3 about the same. This is a forecast from the recent trend, the gauges upstream and rain, not an official warning.
Which gauges are on the Nilwala Ganga?: From upstream to downstream: Pitabeddara, Urawa, Panadugama, Thalgahagoda.
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.