Kaluganga is a new reservoir in the remote eastern part of Matale District, in between the mountains of Knuckles Range and the wildlife area of Wasgomuwa. The reservoir is named after the river Kaluganga, often spelled Kalu Ganga, which is a tributary of the Amban Ganga, which in turn feeds into the Mahaweli Ganga. The Kaluganga of Matale District is one of the three major rivers originating in Knuckles Range, the other ones being Huluganga behind the main watershed of the range and Heen Ganga further east. The Kaluganga of Knuckles Range is not to be confused with the much larger river of the same name in the southwest of Sri Lanka.
The Kaluganga Reservoir is part of the Moragahakanda–Kaluganga irrigation and hydropower scheme, which is supported by Saudi Arabia and other OPEC member states. The construction of the dam was launched by then president Mahinda Rajapaksa on 25 January 2007. Around 800 families of the Pallegama and Rambukoluwa villages had to be resettled. The water capacity of the reservoir is 248 million cubic meters. Part of the water is destined to be led via tunnel to the Moragahakanda Reservoir for generating 25MW hydroelectricity. The gravity dam is 618 m (2028 feet) long and 67 m (220 feet) high. The opening of the sluice gates on 7 November 2019 under the supervision of then president Maithripala Sirisena marked the completion of the Kaluganga project. 16 km of new roads were built to replace the old road from Ilukkumbura to Hettipola.
The Kaluganga Reservoir is part of the Moragahakanda–Kaluganga irrigation and hydropower scheme, which is supported by Saudi Arabia and other OPEC member states. The construction of the dam was launched by then president Mahinda Rajapaksa on 25 January 2007. Around 800 families of the Pallegama and Rambukoluwa villages had to be resettled. The water capacity of the reservoir is 248 million cubic meters. Part of the water is destined to be led via tunnel to the Moragahakanda Reservoir for generating 25MW hydroelectricity. The gravity dam is 618 m (2028 feet) long and 67 m (220 feet) high. The opening of the sluice gates on 7 November 2019 under the supervision of then president Maithripala Sirisena marked the completion of the Kaluganga project. 16 km of new roads were built to replace the old road from Ilukkumbura to Hettipola.