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Tourism in Sri Lanka
Places to visit
:: Weerawila, Debara, Tissa & Yoda Tanks, Tissamaharama ::
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An Inland wetland of Man-made origin located in the Dry Zone of the Southern province. The Weerawila, Debara, Tissa, Pannangamuwa and Yoda wewa tanks form a multi-purpose, ancient, shallow, freshwater tank cluster ranging from small to medium in size. Located in the old area of the Kirindi Oya Irrigation and Settlement Project (KOISP), the tanks are of major importance for buffer storage of irrigation water and are surrounded by densely populated, intensively managed agricultural lands. The tanks provide an alternative series of freshwater habitats for water birds in the network of predominantly brackish to saline coastal wetlands in southeast Sri Lanka . The Weerawila tank is considered an IBA, due to its high richness of aquatic birds. Part of the tank system falls within the Weerawila-Tissa wildlife sanctuary and remnants of Sri Lanka ?s ancient Ruhuna kingdom are also found within the wetland cluster. 78 plant species have been identified from the area. Of the fauna, 25 fish species, 8 reptiles, 3 amphibian species and 5 mammals have been recorded from the tank environs. The freshwater fish in the tanks are dominated by exotic species such as Oreochromis spp., Catla catla, and Labeo rohita. The aquatic reptiles in the tanks include Crocodylus palustris, Melanochelys trijuga and Lissemys punctata. The tanks are home to several large water birds (e.g. Ardea cinerea, Threskiornis melanocephalus, Anastomus oscitans, Mycteria leucocephala, Pelecanus philippensis), large flocks of waterfowl (Anas querquedula, Dendrocygna javanica) and cormorants (Phalacrocorax spp.). These tanks also function as important water sources for large mammals such as Elephas maximus. The area forms part of the old remnants (> 2000 years) of the Kingdom of Ruhuna, which includes ancient tanks and 4 dagobas that are of national archaeological significance. The area surrounding Tissa tank is a popular tourist spot, due to the easy access to visitor facilities. Boat trips can be made in the tank and the site is a popular stopover place for tourists visiting Bundala and Yala National Parks as well as Kataragma.
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