Iranamadu Tank, body of water
Iranamadu Tank is a large water reservoir in northern Sri Lanka fed by the Kanagarayan Aru river, stretching across open spaces where water borders cultivated fields. It holds up to 148 million cubic meters and features gates to manage water flow for irrigating thousands of acres of farmland.
Construction began in 1902 by connecting two natural swamps, finishing in 1921 as workers built a new settlement that became Kilinochchi. The tank was expanded multiple times over decades, with major increases in capacity reaching its current size to serve growing irrigation needs.
The name Iranamadu comes from Tamil words meaning 'two ponds', reflecting how two separate water bodies were joined to create it. For the local community, this reservoir has been central to farming life for generations, shaping how people settle and work the land around it.
The tank sits on flat, open land that is easy to walk around, with broad banks along the water's edge. Visit during or just after the rainy season when water levels are full and the surrounding farmland is green.
The tank was created by joining two naturally separate swamps, an uncommon engineering approach built almost entirely by hand. During droughts in the 1940s, many families relocated nearby because it offered a dependable water source that kept their farming alive.
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