Mapping of Flood Hazards

in Relation to
Agriculture in Nilwala
Upper Basin

D.L.W.S. Pushpakumara1, Champa M. Navaratne1, Chandana

P.Gunasena2,
1Departmentof Agricultural Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture,
2Department of Geography, Faculty of Humanities and Social

Sciences,
University of Ruhuna,
Ruhuna
Introduction
Sri lanka have103 river basins .
Among these major rivers, Kalu, Kelani, Gin, Nilwala and

Mahaweli are vulnerable to floods.



Flood was identified as most common and hazards natural



event in Sri Lanka



Flood area mapping in the Nilwala river basin became a

top necessity with frequent floods in Nilwala River.


Structural measures and non structural measures have to

be improved against floods as there are serious damages
to the Agriculture in area.



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Objectives
1. Study of hydrological Behavior of the Nilwala upper
catchment corresponding to the flood.

2. Mapping the Flood inundation of the lower catchment
area with reference to the major floods in 2003 and
2008.

3. Mapping the effect of damages to agriculture with
reference to the major floods.


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Materials and methods

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Study
area

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Data

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Basin average rainfall calculated for the study area based
on using the Thiessen polygon method.

Arc view GIS software is used to calculate and drawing
the Thiessen polygon and mapping

3 year moving averages are used in the analysis of
hydrologic data to minimize the effect of inter-annual
variations.

Co-relation analyses were carried out using discharge
and rainfall of four rain gauge station.


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Statistical methods are used to get the flood discharges
of the predetermined return periods.

As such annual peak discharges at the Pitabaddara
gauging station for 30 years were used in flood
frequency analysis to determine the peak discharge.



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Mapping the Flood inundation and
damage
Field survey was conducted to the estimate the damage
mainly in the agriculture in selected GN divisions in the
Akurassa and Aturaliya area.



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GPS data point
map

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Result and discussion

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Calculate the average Rain fall in the basin
(Thiessen polygon)

STATION % Area (ha)

Paninkanda 10.80 4097.31

Aninkanda 21.88 8303.70

Mawarala 42.57 16156.74

Arpthop 24.75 9392.23

Total 100.00 37950.00

According to Thiessen polygon Basin Average

annual Rainfall is 3386.83 mm
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Co- relation between rainfall and
discharge
 Aninkanda Panilkanda Mawarala Arpthop
0.212 0.201 0.263 0.156
Day
Before 1 0.524 0.341 0.612 0.499
day
Before 2 days 0.293 0.177 0.345 0.366
0.202 0.173 0.253 0.308
Before 3 days
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Rainfall variation in the catchment

Mean Annual Rainfall varying 2550mm-3980mm

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Total Annual Rainfall and Runoff relation.

During 1969/70 to 1998/99 are shown an increasing trend of

rainfall while runoff and runoff to rainfall ratio are decreasing.

Changes in catchment’s characters and land use changes were

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Short term rainfall-runoff
relations

In short term there is linear relationship between rainfall and

runoff .
However, there are substantial differences in rates and
directions of short-term deviations.
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Annual Peak discharge variation

Annual Peak discharge is decreasing mainly due to

changes in catchment characteristics and base flow
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Mean Monthly water level(2000-2008)

Spill level

Highest mean monthly water level in the May (High

flow Period) value is higher than spill level
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Flood Hydrograph-2008 flood in
Bopagoda

There was the flood condition during 31st

May to 3rd June
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Flood frequency analysis
3500

3000

2500
y = 534.98Ln(x) - 178.81
Peak discharge (cumec)

2
R = 0.6708
2000

1500

1000

500

0
1 10 100
Return period (years)

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Flo o d ro u tin g Divitura

Welihena

Howpe

Pahala Aturaliya National Geography Conference-2010

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Agriculture in the
study area

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Flood inundation map

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Flood inundation map

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Flood affected areas

Flooded Area Percentage (%)

(Ac)
Yearly 585 4.32
Flood 2008 1993 14.72
Flood 2003 6730 49.71
Total Area 13537.84

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Affected Population

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Paddy
cultivation

Paddy cultivation is distributed in the all low lands in the Aturaliya and
Akuressa area.
Paddy lands in the Higgoda , Diyalape area are mainly affected due to

near the Degali oya and Nilwala main stream.

Thanahalagama west and Marambanorth are highly paddy cultivated

areas but damage is low due to small hilly topography of the area.
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Paddy cultivation

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Tea
cultivation

Tea is mainly in Aturaliya area than Akuressa. Howpeis the most tea
cultivated GN division . But, damage is low due to most tea lands
in the small hilly topography. only boundaries of the tea lands are
affected .
Main damage due to Flood in the transportation ways to transport the

harvest and difficult to access the harvesting.

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 Tea
cultivation

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 Rubber
cultivation

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Cinnamon Cultivation
Distribution

Cinnamon cultivation mainly distributed in Higgoda, Godapitiya

and Welihena areas.
But Higgoda area is mainly affected in flood due to low land and
near to Degali oya and main Nilwalariver. Loss of Quality of
matured cinnamon is a big problem
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Conclusions


Increasing trend of annual rainfall while runoff and are

decreasing.


Decreasing the base flow shown in same study area



Flood is main affected to paddy in the study area.



Based Frequency analysis , Frequency of flash flood is

between 25 to 30 years return periods .


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.



Damage to Tea is low due to most tea lands in the small
hilly topography. only boundaries of the tea lands are
affected

Damage to cinnamon Higgoda area is mainly affected in
flood due to low land and near to Degali oya and main
Nilwala river.

Future mitigation measures must focus the routing high
intensity storm runoff, and should be adjusted the
cultivation practices based to rainfall pattern.

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References
 W. K. B. Elkaduwa and R. Sakthivadivel. 1998. Use of historical data
as a decision support tool in watershed management: A case study
of the Upper Nilwala basin in Sri Lanka. Research Report 26.
Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute.
 P. Deturckl, K.D.N. Weerasinghe, D.A.B.N. Gunarathna,J.P. Lexa and
K.Vlassak.,Rice production on acid sulphate soils of Sri Lanka.,KU
Leuven, Kardinaal Mercierlaan 92, B-3001 Heverlee.,University of
Ruhuna, Faculty of Agriculture, Mapalana,Kamburupitiya, Sri Lanka.
 I. P. Ajith Gunasekara.,Flood Hazard Mapping in Lower Reach of
Kelani River., ENGINEER - Vol. XXXXI, No. 05, pp. 149-154,
2008,The Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka
 D.N. Mungai, C.K. Ong,, B. Kiteme , W. Elkaduwa , R. Sakthivadivel .,
Lessons from two long-term hydrological studies in Kenya and
SriLanka., Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 104 (2004)
135–143
 Ranjana. U.K. Piyadasa ,Champa.M.Naverathna ., River Sand Mining
in Southern Sri Lanka and its Effect on Environment.,River
symposium,Sri lanka.
 Nilwala Ganga Flood Protection Scheme -First stage of Work (Flood
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Warning system.,(1984).,pg:8-10.,Ministry of Land and Land 35
Thank You !
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