Fun 'n Frolic in the Hills

The Victoria Dam, the largest hydroelectric dam in Sri Lanka was the centre of attraction in the last few weeks due to its sluice gates being opened.

Maintained by the Mahaweli authority the dam is 520 m (1,706 ft) in length. At 122 m (400 ft), it is also the tallest dam in the country, while possessing the largest power station as well. Many may not know that the idea of the dam originated from South Africa as the engineers copied an existing dam in that African country.

The team at the foot of the Victoria dam

The staffers and their family members at Suisse Hotel Kandy.

In addition to its exclusivity by way of height and generating capacity it is also an engineering marvel. It is said that the dam tilts towards the spill area when the water level is low while it tilts to the other side when the levels are high.

Though some may think that the dam is filled with concrete it has hollow cavities to service it if necessary. A visit to Victoria Dam was the main highlight of the Sunday Observer staff annual trip on December 12 and 13 to Kandy.

The staffers booked the Kandy intercity train and then took a Kandy City tour on a double Decker bus and also visited the Victoria dam. They also had the rare opportunity to go inside the Dam through this tunnel.

The staffers were surprised to note than there were rail tracks being laid to transport heavy machinery if needed.

The construction of the dam was ceremonially inaugurated in 1978, by former President J.R. Jayewardene. It commenced operations in April 1985, after it was commissioned by then British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

Director General Mahaweli Authority, D. M. C. Dissanayake who made special arrangements for 'Sunday Observer' said that this dam can be used for over a century.

"In other countries when a dam gets old a new dam is built downstream and they let the old dam get flooded. However in Sri Lanka we will maintain it," he said.

The staffers were also treated to royal hospitality at Suisse hotel Kandy now owned by the Galle Face Hotels Group. The overnight stay was at the Plantation Circuit bungalow which was arranged by their Ministry Press Coordinator M. Tissera.

The main sponsors for the event was Sri Lanka's leading telecommunications provider, Mobitel Lanka Limited while Nestle Lanka Limited, Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo, Cinnamon Grand Hotel, Symtra Pvt Limited manufactures of stationery in Maliban Street, Colombo 11 and also our guest writer in Kandy, Hafiz Marikkar also assisted to make this annual event a success.