Abstract:
Sri Lanka is an Island, the economy of which relies very much on the
developments of the coastal region, which supports tourism and fisheries. In addition,
especially in the South-Western part of the country, the infrastructure lays in the
proximity to the coast and the land is more precious and valuable. Further, the
constructions around the coastal expanse, alter the sand dynamics of the coastal belt,
increasing erosion and deposition at specific points. The erosion cannot be identified at
a glance in one day, but when considering long-term sustainable developments, the loss
of expanse due to erosion becomes vital. Hence, in this study we analysed the erosion
pattern and gross land loss along South-Western part of Sri Lanka, considering duration
of 6 months (Jun/07 till Jan/08). The variations of beach profile were determined from
leveling perpendicular to the beach at 10 predetermined locations at one month interval.
Grain size variations were also analysed from the samples collected from the mean sea
level from each sampling locations. A strong correlation was observed at this location
between the monsoon and erosion, while at Egodauyana, Panadura Moya, kani Lanka
hotel and Payagala revealed rapid changes in erosion/deposition. Although the rainfall
influences the beach variation, longshore currents, tides and coastal features (natural
and artificial) are found to be dominating at these locations.
Citation:
Subramaniam, D.N., Amarakoon, G.G.N.N., Gunathunga, S.G.A.S., Pathinayaka, R.C., Indeewara, V.G.D., Vijitha, A.V.P., & Rathnayake, N.P. (2008). Seasonal changes and coastal erosion in the south western part of Sri Lanka. In S. Karunaratne (Ed.), Proceedings of the 3rd Annual Conference on Mining for Sustainable Development – A Multidisciplinary Approach (pp. 37-40). Department of Earth Resources Engineering, University of Moratuwa.