Temporal Changes of Land Use Pattern in Batticaloa Municipal Council, Sri Lanka

Abstract

Batticaloa, one of the fastest-growing cities in Sri Lanka, is the most vital urban agglomeration that should concentrate on the temporal changes in land use. Seven (7) land use categories, namely commercial, residential, agricultural, scrubland, mangroves, water bodies, and barren land in Batticaloa, have changed by the different purposes of utilization. This study aims to identify the landuse changes of the Batticaloa Municipal Council from 1980 to 2018. Primary and secondary data collection methods were used to gather the data for analysis. Maximum likelihood classification method was used to interpret the maps. The comparison was made to the various land use categories in 1980, 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2018. The temporal pattern of land-use change was presented via a comparison of those periods of land use maps. ArcGIS 10.4.1 and MS Excel 2013 were used to interpret the maps and analyze data. The study revealed that there were major land-use changes identified in the study area between 1980 and 2018. Commercial and residential areas increased by 20.17 ha and 1148.57 ha, respectively. Barren land and agricultural land lost 769.54 ha and 301.99 ha, respectively. The certain extent of rest land use categories was converted into some other land use category during these periods. The effects of human activities are immediate and often radical, while the natural effects are relatively long. However, the recommendations are to the future land use planning, protecting mangrove resources through land-use strategies by the government, community participation, and encouraging the approval of urban planners to make decisions about urban development.