The 108 km long Gal Oya River originates east of Badulla and flows towards the Indian Ocean south of Kalmunai. Dammed 100 km from Batticaloa and 318 km from Colombo, this river, sourced from the Madulsima hills in Badulla, was central to the Vedda people, Sri Lanka’s indigenous inhabitants who once thrived in its caves and forests, relying on hunting and gathering practices dating back to 10,000 BC. The Gal Oya project, initiated in 1949, led to the displacement of many Veddas, contributing to modernization and cultural loss, leaving fewer than 200 still living traditionally today.