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Balluvial Soils of Vadable Texture and Drauiage

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Balluvial Soils of Vadable Texture and Drauiage Chapter II A PROFILE OF STUDY AREA This chapter attempts to describe physical and socio-economic profile of the study area. Agriculture is determined by physical and non-physical factors. Impact of physical factors such as geology, climate, drainage and soils on agriculture is enormous. These factors are briefly discussed initially and later the non-physical factors are also discussed to get a macro level picture of the study area. Seasonality which is controlled by the climatic factors is another important factor for determining agricultural production and productivity. The agricultural seasonal pattern is discussed through a generalized model in this chapter. 2.1 Land Distribution Land is vital for human existence-for cultivation, for housing, civilization and culture. All these are intimately connected with land, ecology and nature. Sri Lanka has a total land area, including the land covered by inland water bodies, of 65,610 sq. km (approximately 6.56 million hectare). Location of Sri Lanka is shown in Figure 2.1. Administrative boimdaries of Sri Lanka are also showing in Figure 2.2. The land area without water bodies is 64,740 sq. km (approximately 6.47 million hectare). It is nearly 1/5* of the Maharashta state of India. About 98.2 per cent of the total geographical area consists of land area and the balance 1.8 per cent consists of larger inland water (Department of Census and Statistics, 2004; 1). Some land is presently used and some remains sparsely used or unutilized. The balance comprises of forests and catchments areas, reserved area, land inimdated by tanks, steep land, land above 500 ft. contour, barren lands and marshes and mangroves. A rough balance sheet of the land distribution among the different categories is given in Table 2.1. J wiJ •.tiiS g %^ 1 f» % V •< fe: se g _,r BHT^* I k. < p A \ H^^H Ps s, <^ rW ^-"^-w •< •^ ? -*^ ^S J ^v* r ** ^1 e & o 4 0 « > •^e •4 y "A < \^yju-'M at •< } < L * i H / " 1 j^ / M ^ L •< .a 4 ** 4ym „ L B i-v k a< J • • AO^_ 2 s f :«^iy ^W T M ^ H j^ •Sj !j "^ < 6 •< / < J **< k la 1 , A a /si 1 / 0\ Table 2.1 Land Distribution of Sri Lanka - 2000 Land categories Hectares (million) Percentage Presently used 2.63 40.09 Sparsely used and balance land 0.73 11.12 Forests and catchments areas 2.00 30.48 Reservations 0.46 7.01 Inundated by tanks 0.14 2.13 Steep lands 0.38 5.79 Land above the 500ft. contour 0.08 1.21 Barren lands 0.08 1.21 Marshes and mangroves 0.06 0.96 Total 6.56 100 Sources; Silva, Percy (2001) Land Use Changes in Sri Lanka, CNPP, UDA and NPPD Ip. The land of Sri Lanka is mainly used for agriculture, a part for forestry and wild life conservation and a part for human settlements, industry, infrastructure etc. The balance remains unutilized. The distribution of major land use is given in Table 2.2. Table 2.2 Sector Wise Land Distribution of Sri Lanka - 2000 Sector Extent Percentage (Hectares) -• Urban land Built up land 24,000 0.36 Non agricultural land 7,000 0.10 Agricultural land Homegradens 785,000 11.96 Tree and other perennial crops 766,000 11.67 Crop land 2,168,000 33.04 Forest land Natural forest 1,678,000 25.57 Forest plantation 85,000 1.29 Range land Scrub land 510,000 7.77 Grassland 92,000 1.40 Wet lands 65,000 1.06 Water 300,000 4.57 Barren land 80.000 1.21 Total 6,561,000 100 Source; Silva, Percy (2001) op cit,, The figures show that agriculture (crop land) and natural forests were the major uses of land in the country in 2000's. Nearly one third of the total land was the crop land and another 24 per cent of land was covered by homegradens and trees and perennial crops. There were 18,732,400 people in Sri Lanka in 2001 (Department of Census and Statistics, 2002; 34). Land availability per person is around 0.3 hectare at present. It was about 2.0 hectares in 19"* century and has been gradually decreasing due to the growth in population. In urban areas, such as Colombo or Gampaha where the density rises to 3000 per km^ and it is much lower in rural areas such as Mullative or Monaragala, with 50 and 72 persons per km^ respectively. Table 2.3 shows the diminishing pattern of the Man-Land Ratio (MLR) of the coxmtry. Table 2.3 Land-Man Ratio of Sri Lanka 1830 - 2001 Year Population LMR (Hectares) 1830 962,155 6.83 1901 3,565,954 1.84 1950 7,647,000 0.86 1981 15,012,610 0.44 2001 18,732,400 0.31 Sources; Berugoda, S. "Present Pattem of Land Use and Policy Planning" in Logos, vol; 29, No 3 &4. 2.2 Geology Sri Lanka, like Indian peninsula, formed part of Gondwanaland in the distant geological past, and it was never fully submerged by the sea. The only major marine transgression was in Tertiary times when Miocene sediments were laid down in the northwestern belt of the island, including the Jafifoa Peninsular. As a result, nearly 90 per cent of the island is not covered by any sedimentary rocks. Precambrian rocks consist predominantly of a sedimentary succession of a variety of metamorphosed sedimentary rocks that are conventionally divided into two groups on the basis of their lithology and structure - the Highland Series and the Vijayan Series. Miocene formation covers large areas in the northwest and in the JafOia peninsular. They are important aquifers used extensively in the north for irrigation (Abeywickrama, et al. 1991; 3). Among the superficial deposits of recent origin in many parts of the country are alluvium on the river floodplains and loose unconsolidated sands in the coastal belt. These superficial deposits are economically important for grass lands and agricultural lands. 31 2.3 Physiography Sri Lanka can be divided into three major physiographic zones i.e. the central highlands, the plains and the coastal belt by elevation. The central part of the country consists of plateaus, peaks, valleys and plains. The highest point is Pidurutalagala. (2524 m). Several high mountains such as Adams Peak (2243 m) and Namunukula (2036 m) are located there. The famous Horton Plains also are located in the central highlands. Main feature of the central highland is the emergence of drainage system that is based on uneven landscape. Figure 2.3 Srilanka- Topogrphy li^H^^ "^ •5v^ ^V^ * 1 f" ,\ltihide in metres rno-ioo 11. TL i^n 100-1000 ^g 1000- 2000 ^B > :ooo •/s £J^K A* m "3' • ^ 3^^^ 40 80 K ilometas SDUKC DK Naboail Mm af SrilMitktdOsg) Most of the island's surface consists of plains between 30 and 200 meters above sea level, hi the southwest, ridges and valleys rise gradually to merge with the Central Highlands, giving a dissected appearance to the plain. In the southeast, a red, lateritic soil covers relatively level ground that is studded with bare, monolithic hills (Wikipedia on the web). A coastal belt about thirty meters above sea level surrounds the island. Much of the coast consists of scenic sandy beaches indented with coastal 32 lagoons. In the Jafiha peninsula, limestone beds are exposed to the waves as low- lying cliffs in a few places. In the northeast and southwest, where the coast cuts across the stratification of the crystalline rocks, rocky cliffs, bays can be found (Figure 2.3). Sri Lanka's agriculture is mostly determined by physical factors in particular topography. Tea, rubber and other highland crops are cultivated on the central highland, while main crop of the plains is paddy. 2.4 Climate The climate of Sri Lanka is 'tropical monsoonal' with a marked seasonal rhythm of rainfall (Somasekaram et al, 1997; 16) (Figure2.4). All types of tropical crops are cultivated in Sri Lanka, which lie on the Arid zone. The monsoonal conditions refer to two seasonal wind regimes separated by two periods of light and variable winds. The two monsoon periods and the two inter-monsoon periods control the rhythm. Figure 2.4 Figure 2.5 Sri Lanka - Avarage Annual Rainfall Sri Lanka - Annual Avarage Temperture . ralfnU mm 500- 1000 TMa|MTlan-C 1000-1500 EH > 27.5 1500 - 2000 I I2S.0-I7.5 2000 - JOOO I 122.6-25.0 ^B ^^*^ - ''000 I I 20.0-22.5 I I 4000-5000 •I 17.5 - 20.5 ^H '5000 I I < 17.5 A 0 20 40 Kiloiiietas 0 20 40 Kilometers Sratcc Ibe Naliiaial Allx of Sii Laalu (1988) SMICC: HK Nabtud All« of Sn LHMU (1988) 33 Thus, climatic factors such as rainfall, number of rainy days, temperature, hxraiidity and wind are important for fanning crops, the yield and productivity. Sri Lanka's position between 6° and 10° north latitude endows the country with a warm climate, moderated by ocean winds and considerable moisture. The temperature decreases at a steady rate of about 6.5°c for each 1,000 meters rise. The mean temperature ranges fix)m a low of 15.8 degrees celcius at Nuwaraeliya where the elevation is 1895 meters in the central highland to a height of 29°c near the sea on the northeastern coast of Trincomalee (Figure 2.5). The oceanic influence (the maximum width of the island being only 225 kilometers) helps to reduce the temperature in lowlands by the sea breezes.
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