what is the second longest river in sri lanka

June 28, 2026 • 1 min read

The second longest river in Sri Lanka is the Malvathu Oya (also called Malvathu River), with a length of about 164 km.

Quick Scoop

Second longest river: Malvathu Oya / Malvathu River.

Length: Around 164 km (about 102 miles).

Where it starts: In the North Central Province, with main catchment around the Ritigala and Inamaluwa mountain areas.

Where it ends: Flows northwest and empties into the sea near Vankalai on the Gulf of Mannar.

Fun context: It connects the ancient city region of Anuradhapura to the Mannar coast and is often mentioned in guides as Sri Lanka’s second-longest river.

In lists of Sri Lankan rivers by length, Mahaweli is consistently first, and Malvathu Oya is listed next as the second-longest.

TL;DR: If someone asks “what is the second longest river in Sri Lanka,” the direct answer is Malvathu Oya (Malvathu River), ~164 km long.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.

Kandhan

Written by Kandhan

"A book is a garden, an orchard, a storehouse, a party, a company by the way, a counselor, a multitude of counselors." — This philosophy guides my writing and exploration of ideas.