ABSTRACT
Batticaloa MC, one of the fastest-growing cities in Sri Lanka, is the most vital agglomeration that should concentrate upon temporal changes in land use. Various land use categories, namely commercial, residential, agricultural, scrubland, mangroves, water and barren land in Batticaloa, have been modified by the different purposes of utilization. This study aims to identify the land-use changes of Batticaloa Municipal Council from 1980 to 2018. Primary and secondary data collection methods were used to gather the data for analysis. 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 the five-time periods of land use. ArcGIS 10.4.1 and MS Excel 2013 were applied to analyse the maps and data. The finding of the study was that between 1980 and 2018, there were significant land-use changes in the study area. Commercial and residential areas increased by 20.17 ha and 1148.57 ha, respectively, and barren land and agricultural land lost 769.54 ha and 301.99 ha, respectively. In addition, rest land use categories were converted into other land use categories during these periods. The effects of human activities are immediate and often radical, while the natural effects are relatively long. The recommendations are to enforce future land use planning, and protect forest resources through land-use strategies by way of the government with community participation encouraging the approval of urban planners to make decisions about urban development.
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