Sri Lanka’s landscape has been altered in several upcountry locations due to landslides triggered by Cyclone Ditwah, prompting a need to update the nation’s land-use maps.
Landslide Damage Requires Updated Mapping
The country’s Surveyor General N.K.U. Rohana stated the changes necessitate an update to the national land-use map series. The Survey Department plans to acquire high-resolution satellite images from space stations orbiting Sri Lanka to facilitate an accurate re-mapping process.
These new images will help identify areas affected by landslides and assess damage to river basins, land, and agricultural zones. Detailed satellite images will be requested once the disaster situation stabilizes and repairs to water bodies and roads are further along, according to the surveyor general.
The department has already collected several low-resolution images from affected provinces and has begun initial studies. International assistance is being sought to obtain high-resolution images, with requests made to China, India, Japan, the United States, and Russia through diplomatic channels.
China has already provided close-up images showing flooded and landslide-affected areas.
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