277:, but found that—as the previous Sinhalese kings had before them—the coastal tides inundated the fields with sea water. Between 1658 and 1795, the Dutch undertook the construction of a series of structures, dams and canals using and enhancing the original system of waterways in an attempt to drain the salt water from the rice fields and to transport cinnamon in barges through to the seaport at Negombo. This system, known as the 'Dutch Canal', formed a "continuous line of waterways between ports and the remote sections of territory under the Dutch". The Dutch canal, at its maximum, extended 172 km (107 mi) in length.
31:
254:, and going down the river they proceeded into another canal as narrow as shady, so that the oars, although they were very short, could scarcely fulfil their office". "By this they went as far as Negumbo, which is six Chingala leagues." In the 17th century the Portuguese constructed a canal from
325:
The canal was designed to connect the original Dutch canal by a series of parallel waterways in order to drain the already damaged
Muthurajawela but created the opposite effect, as the coastal tides brought increasing salinity not only from
293:
and supported by Gavin
Hamilton (1494–1803), the Government Agent of Revenue and Commerce. The Hamilton Canal, as it became known, ran parallel to and west of the old Dutch Canal, closer to the sea, from the mouth of the
884:
879:
595:
322:
as Agent of
Revenue and Commerce for the District of Colombo. Hamilton died in February 1803 prior to the completion of the canal in 1804. After his death he was found to have embezzled £19,675.
353:
and
Negombo. The second phase of the works between the Kelani Ganga and Negombo commenced on 20 February 2013. The first 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) section, between the Hekiththa junction and
349:
In 2012 the Sri Lanka Land
Reclamation and Development Corporation commenced work rehabilitating and restoring the canal. The first stage was a 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) stretch between
314:, Colonial Secretary of Ceylon. He subsequently became the private secretary to Governor North. In April 1799 Hamilton was appointed Acting Civil Paymaster and in 1802 the Deputy
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849:
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was completed on 2 August 2013 at a cost of Rs. 400 million with financial assistance from the
Japanese Bank for International Cooperation.
403:
Ceylon; an
Account of the Island Physical, Historical, and Topographical with Notices of Its Natural History, Antiquities and Productions
286:
219:(1477–1496), had a network of canals constructed connecting outlying villages with Colombo and Negombo Lagoon so that produce such as
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reported a voyage lasting weeks along the 'Gobbs of
Serendib', the Arabian term for the linked lagoons along the coast.
216:
700:
250:, Father Manoel Barradas, describes how "Near Columbo the Fathers embarked on a canal by which they entered into the
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521:
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In 1796 the
British took control of the island and in 1802 a new Colombo-Negombo canal was built, conceived by
727:"Wanton rape of the Muthurajawela Wetland Sanctuary : Biodiversity Conservation vs Political Vote Bank"
758:
731:
422:
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181:
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The first mention of the canals along the western seaboard of Sri Lanka was in the 8th century, when the
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596:"List of Inscriptions on Tombstones and Monuments in Ceylon of Historical or Local Interest"
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184:. The canal was named after Gavin Hamilton, the Government Agent of Revenue and Commerce.
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813:"Local and foreign tourists flock to Hamilton Canal : An Enchanting Waterway"
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at
Pamunugama, a distance of 14.5 km (9.0 mi). Hamilton had accompanied
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established the centre of their colony at Colombo. They then attempted to grow
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in 1802 and completed in 1804. It was designed to drain salt water out of the
235:, could be more easily transported to the kingdom’s main seaport at Negombo.
173:
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Links between Sri Lanka and the Netherlands : a book of Dutch Ceylon
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1798–1805) to Ceylon in 1798, where he became the private secretary to
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626:. London: J. Debrett, T. Cadwell Jr. and W. Davies. 1803. p. 111.
224:
516:
Haque, A. K. Enamul; Murty, M. N.; Shyamsundar, Priya (2011).
788:. Ministry of Mass Media. 4 September 2013. Archived from
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Transport buildings and structures in Gampaha District
880:
Transport buildings and structures in Colombo District
473:"Journal of the Ceylon Branch of the Asiatic Society"
160:) is a 14.5 km (9.0 mi) canal connecting
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37:
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643:. London: Longman, Hurst, Rees and Orme. p.
405:. London: Longman, Green, Longman, and Roberts.
380:. Netherlands Alumni Association of Sri Lanka.
8:
665:. Frank Cass & Co. Ltd. pp. 33–34.
558:. Dutch Burgher Union. July 1953: 132–134.
479:(57). Government Printer Ceylon. 1906: 62.
20:
444:
442:
440:
418:"Kings of Ancient and Medieval Sri Lanka"
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369:
339:railway line between Puttalam and Colombo
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341:in 1926, the water route was abandoned.
365:
298:at Hekitta to the southern edge of the
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811:Wijayapala, Ranil (20 October 2013).
725:Wickramage, Florence (18 July 2003).
688:"Muthurajawela: Man Made Devastation"
543:
541:
518:Environmental Valuation in South Asia
511:
509:
507:
7:
782:"Hamilton Canal Development project"
686:Jayatilake, Linus (9 October 1994).
663:Ceylon Under British Rule, 1795–1932
549:"Journal of the Dutch Burgher Union"
449:Sampath, Suresh (26 February 2011).
860:Bodies of water of Gampaha District
855:Bodies of water of Colombo District
176:. The canal was constructed by the
416:Pieris, Kamalika (24 March 2007).
337:Following the construction of the
14:
825:from the original on 4 March 2016
754:"Hamilton Canal to Boost Tourism"
850:1804 establishments in Sri Lanka
376:Brohier, Richard Leslie (1978).
29:
401:Tennent, James Emerson (1860).
451:"Dutch Waterways in Sri Lanka"
273:in the surrounding marshes in
156:) (also commonly known as the
1:
637:Rev. James Cordiner (1807).
906:
522:Cambridge University Press
661:Mills, Lennox A. (1933).
291:Colonial Surveyor General
28:
345:21st century restoration
217:Veera Parakramabahu VIII
211:Six centuries later the
46:14.5 km (9.0 miles)
640:A Description of Ceylon
571:Cite journal requires
492:Cite journal requires
182:Muthurajawela wetlands
114:near the Karamba Road)
865:Canals opened in 1804
890:Geography of Colombo
623:The Asiatic Register
870:Canals in Sri Lanka
792:on 19 November 2015
453:. Explore Sri Lanka
67:Negombo Dutch Canal
762:. 20 February 2013
308:Governor of Ceylon
206:Abu Zayd al-Balkhi
168:, passing through
82:Construction began
72:Principal engineer
18:Canal in Sri Lanka
672:978-0-714-62019-0
387:978-8-7874-5367-7
316:Paymaster General
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112:Puttalam Kalapuwa
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152:: හැමිල්ටන් ඇල
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318:. He succeeded
306:(first British
304:Frederick North
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827:. Retrieved
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332:Kelani Ganga
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296:Kelani Ganga
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154:Hæmiltan Æla
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128:Kelani River
126:(originally
110:(originally
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875:Ship canals
829:18 November
796:18 November
766:18 November
738:19 November
710:19 November
606:13 November
457:13 November
429:13 November
158:Dutch Canal
103:Start point
64:Modern name
844:Categories
759:Daily News
423:The Island
361:References
271:paddy rice
260:Pamunugama
248:missionary
245:Portuguese
243:In 1613 a
221:areca nuts
202:geographer
174:Sri Lanka
119:End point
98:Geography
823:Archived
355:Pinwatta
351:Maha Oya
233:cinnamon
229:cardamom
162:Puttalam
132:Kelaniya
107:Puttalam
256:Hendala
199:Persian
188:History
178:British
170:Negombo
166:Colombo
150:Sinhala
123:Colombo
59:History
669:
600:Mocavo
528:
384:
289:, the
225:cloves
51:Status
43:Length
704:(PDF)
691:(PDF)
556:XLIII
552:(PDF)
267:Dutch
831:2015
798:2015
768:2015
740:2015
712:2015
667:ISBN
608:2015
577:help
526:ISBN
498:help
459:2015
431:2015
382:ISBN
265:The
144:The
93:1804
85:1802
54:Open
645:260
477:XIX
334:.
258:to
172:in
164:to
130:at
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