Developing a Composite Map of Vulnerability to Rainfall Extremes in Sri Lanka

Hemachandra, E. M. G. P.; Dayawansa, N. D. K.; De Silva, R. P.

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-47786-8_4

E. M. G. P. Hemachandra³,
N. D. K. Dayawansa³ &
R. P. De Silva³

438 Accesses

Abstract

Climate change is emerging as a global phenomenon and associated changes in climatic variability are likely to incur adverse consequences for Sri Lanka. Recent studies have shown changes in rainfall characteristics across the country. This study was undertaken to develop a composite map of extreme rainfall events in Sri Lanka for a thirty year period (1986–2015). Daily rainfall data for this period was obtained in 103 locations representing dry, wet and intermediate zones of the country. Six different indicative parameters of rainfall were developed to understand the changes in rainfall patterns over time. Subsequently, a composite map of extreme positive rainfall events for the thirty year period was developed to reflect the extreme conditions and the vulnerability to rainfall extremes using Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW) interpolation method in GIS. According to spatial variability of rainfall extremes, the wet zone of the country is experiencing increased incidence of wet extremes while the dry zone is experiencing increased incidence of dry extremes. According to the temporal variability of rainfall, most of the rainfall extremes have occurred during the period of 2006–2015. The developed maps under the study can be used for a wide range of applications such as agricultural planning and management, urban planning, analysis of climatic variability and extremes, environmental conservation, etc.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

eBook: USD 16.99; Price excludes VAT (USA)

Softcover Book: USD 119.99; Price excludes VAT (USA)

Hardcover Book: USD 169.99; Price excludes VAT (USA)

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

Ajith, S. (2018). Climate change and Sri Lanka. Retrieved from https://unfccc.int/files/adaptation/application/pdf/nwp_integration_silva.pdf on 01 Apr 2018.
De Costa, W. A. J. M. (2008). Climate change in Sri Lanka: Myth or reality? Evidence from long-term meteorological data. Journal of the National Science Foundation of Sri Lanka, 36, 63–88.
Article Google Scholar
Dore, M. H. (2005). Climate change and changes in global precipitation patterns: What do we know? Environment International, 31(8), 1167–1181.
Article Google Scholar
Easterling, D. R., Evans, J. L., Groisman, P. Y., Karl, T. R., Kunkel, K. E., & Ambenje, P. (2000a). Observed variability and trends in extreme climate events: A brief review. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 81(3), 417–425.
Article Google Scholar
Easterling, D. R., Meehl, G. A., Parmesan, C., Changnon, S. A., Karl, T. R., & Mearns, L. O. (2000b). Climate extremes: Observations, modeling, and impacts. Science, 289(5487), 2068–2074.
Article CAS Google Scholar
Eriyagama, N., Smakhtin, V., Chandrapala, L., & Fernando, K. (2010). Impacts of climate change on water resources and agriculture in Sri Lanka: A review and preliminary vulnerability mapping (Vol. 135). Colombo: IWMI.
Google Scholar
Fernando, T. K., & Chandrapala, L. (1992). Global warming and rainfall variability–Sri Lankan Situation. In Proceedings of the 47th annual session of Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science (SLASS), p. 138.
Google Scholar
Hijioka, Y., Lin, E., Pereira, J. J., Corlett, R. T., Cui, X., Insarov, G. E., Lasco, R. D., Lindgren, E., & Surjan, A. (2014). Asia. In V. R. Barros, C. B. Field, D. J. Dokken, M. D. Mastrandrea, K. J. Mach, T. E. Bilir, M. Chatterjee, K. L. Ebi, Y. O. Estrada, R. C. Genova, B. Girma, E. S. Kissel, A. N. Levy, S. MacCracken, P. R. Mastrandrea, & L. L. White (Eds.), Climate change 2014: Impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability. Part B: Regional aspects. Contribution of Working Group II to the fifth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on climate change (pp. 1327–1370). Cambridge/New York: Cambridge University Press.
Google Scholar
https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/srilanka/publication/sri-lanka. Development-update retrieved on 06 Aug 2019.
Hutchinson, M. F. (1995). Interpolating mean rainfall using thin plate smoothing splines. International Journal of Geographical Information Systems, 9(4), 385–403.
Article Google Scholar
IPCC. (2014). Annex II: Glossary [K. J. Mach, S. Planton, & C. von Stechow (Eds.)]. In Core Writing Team, R. K. Pachauri, & L. A. Meyer (Eds.), Climate change 2014: Synthesis report. Contribution of Working Groups I, II and III to the fifth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on climate change (pp. 117–130). Geneva: IPCC.
Google Scholar
Jayawardene, H. K. W. I., Sonnadara, D. U. J., & Jayewardene, D. R. (2005). Trends of rainfall in Sri Lanka over the last century. Sri Lankan Journal of Physics, 6, 7–17.
Article Google Scholar
Karl, T. R., Knight, R. W., Easterling, D. R., & Quayle, R. G. (1996). Indices of climate change for the United States. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 77(2), 279–292.
Article Google Scholar
Manawadu, L., & Fernando, N. (2008). Climate changes in Sri Lanka. University of Colombo Review. Journal of the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka, New Series, 1, 2.
Google Scholar
Ministry of Environment. (2011). Sri Lanka’s second national communication on climate change.
Google Scholar
Ministry of Mahaweli Development and Environment. (2016). National adaptation plan for climate change impacts in Sri Lanka 2016 to 2025.
Google Scholar
Nastos, P. T., & Zerefos, C. S. (2009). Spatial and temporal variability of consecutive dry and wet days in Greece. Atmospheric Research, 94(4), 616–628.
Article Google Scholar
Niranjan, F., Uddika, N. C. P., Bantilan, M. C. S., & Singh, N. P. (2015). Assessing agricultural vulnerability to climate change in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka Journal of Food and Agriculture, 1(1), 85–92.
Article Google Scholar
Parry, M., Parry, M. L., Canziani, O., Palutikof, J., Van der Linden, P., & Hanson, C. (Eds.). (2007). Climate change 2007-impacts, adaptation and vulnerability: Working group II contribution to the fourth assessment report of the IPCC (Vol. 4). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Google Scholar
Punyawardana, B. V. R. (2002). Climate change: Challenges and opportunities in Sri Lanka. Dhaka: Natural Resource Management Centre.
Google Scholar
Seo, S. N. N., Mendelsohn, R., & Munasinghe, M. (2005). Climate change and agriculture in Sri Lanka: A Ricardian valuation. Environment and Development Economics, 10(5), 581.
Article Google Scholar
Sivakumar, M. V., & Stefanski, R. (2010). Climate change in South Asia. In Climate change and food security in South Asia (pp. 13–30). Dordrecht: Springer.
Chapter Google Scholar
The World Bank Group. (2011). Vulnerability, risk reduction, and adaptation to climate change, Sri Lanka. Climate risk and adaptation country profile April 2011. The World Bank Group, Washington.
Google Scholar
USAID (United States Agency International Development). (2015). Climate change information factsheet Sri Lanka.
Google Scholar
Wang, S., Huang, J., He, Y., & Guan, Y. (2014). Combined effects of the Pacific decadal oscillation and El Nino-southern oscillation on global land dry–wet changes. Scientific Reports, 4, 6651.
Article CAS Google Scholar
WMO (World Meteorological Organization). (2016). Guidelines on the definition and monitoring of extreme weather and climate events.
Google Scholar

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Department of Agricultural Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
E. M. G. P. Hemachandra, N. D. K. Dayawansa & R. P. De Silva

Authors

E. M. G. P. Hemachandra
View author publications
You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar
N. D. K. Dayawansa
View author publications
You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar
R. P. De Silva
View author publications
You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Institute of Water and Flood Management (IWFM), Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), Dhaka, Bangladesh
Anisul Haque
Institute of Water and Flood Management (IWFM), Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), Dhaka, Bangladesh
Ahmed Ishtiaque Amin Chowdhury

Appendix

No	Station	District	Longitudes (km)	Latitudes (km)
1	Trincomalee	Trincomalee	252,000	371,734
2	Puttlam	Puttlam	96,596	312,344
3	Katugastota – Kandy	Kandy	183,750	233,000
4	Katunayake	Gampaha	102,086	217,916
5	Hambantota	Hambantota	239,000	105,000
6	Dyraaba Estate-Badulla	Badulla	218,500	187,500
7	Ledgerwatta	Badulla	227,258	202,544
8	Mapakadawewa	Badulla	229,500	231,750
9	Beause (Lower)	Galle	151,496	105,920
10	Vincit Estate – Waharaka	Gampaha	134,000	211,000
11	Norton	Nuwara Eliya	172,358	190,466
12	Vannikulam	Mulattivu	151,496	429,830
13	Holmwood Estate – NuwaraEliya	Nuwara Eliya	193,500	183,500
14	Kenilworth – Nuwara Eliya	Nuwara Eliya	168,500	199,500
15	Alupolla group-Ratnapura	Ratnapura	177,500	167,500
16	Ambewela – Nuwara Eliya	Nuwara Eliya	202,500	185,750
17	Amparai tank	Ampara	296,738	231,123
18	Anamaduwa Dispensary	Puttlam	115,000	297,750
19	Anuradhapura	Anuradhapura	156,986	345,284
20	Baddegama	Galle	134,250	108,600
21	Badulla	Badulla	231,500	199,000
22	Balangoda Post Office	Ratnapura	192,122	160,820
23	Bandaraeliya	Badulla	227,258	176,192
24	Bandarawela – Badulla	Badulla	222,500	180,000
25	Campion Estate	Nuwara Eliya	192,500	175,500
26	Canawarella Grp.	Badulla	238,238	188,270
27	Colombo	Colombo	99,500	190,250
28	Debedda	Badulla	238,238	195,956
29	Dehiwala Zoo	Colombo	100,500	184,500
30	Denagama – Matara	Matara	186,500	98,500
31	Detanagala(Balangoda Grp.)-Ratnapur	Ratnapura	192,000	171,000
32	Digalla – Dehiowita	Kegalle	148,202	193,760
33	Diyatalawa survey camp	Badulla	220,250	178,000
34	Duckwari Estate	Kandy	201,500	239,500
35	Dunedine	Kegalle	146,006	202,544
36	Geekiyanakanda Estate	Kalutara	128,438	155,330
37	Goluwawatta	Matara	167,966	100,430
38	Hakgala Bot. Gard.	Nuwara Eliya	205,500	191,500
39	Halwatura	Kalutara	137,222	168,506
40	Hanwella Group	Colombo	128,438	186,074
41	Hapugastenna Est. – Maskeliya	Nuwara Eliya	179,000	190,500
42	Hellbodde Estate – Pussellawa	Nuwara Eliya	188,000	209,750
43	Henarathgoda Bot. Grdns.-Gampaha	Gampaha	116,500	208,000
44	Hiyare	Galle	150,398	97,136
45	Horana	Kalutara	127,500	168,000
46	Kamalasram – Udubaddawa	Kurunagala	113,066	251,954
47	Kantali tank	Trincomalee	222,866	347,480
48	Sangamam Tank	Ampara	312,902	213,524
49	Keragala Estate – Kuruwita	Ratnapura	153,250	177,000
50	Kirklees Estate	Badulla	217,376	197,054
51	Kottukachchi	Puttlam	111,968	300,266
52	Koulwewa	Kurunagala	135,250	248,500
53	Kurundu Oya – Nuwara Eliya	Nuwara Eliya	206,500	208,000
54	Kurunagala	Kurunagala	153,692	250,856
55	Labuduwa – Galle	Galle	140,000	97,500
56	Labugama tank	Colombo	135,026	180,584
57	Labookelle Est.	Nuwara Eliya	194,250	202,250
58	Lellopitiya – Deltota	Ratnapura	170,500	163,500
59	Liddesdale	Nuwara Eliya	209,000	202,500
60	Lower Spring Valley	Badulla	236,042	190,466
61	Mapalana	Matara	177,000	95,000
62	Murukkan	Mannar	120,752	400,184
63	Nawalapitiya	Kandy	175,000	205,500
64	Navatikiri aru	Ampara	292,772	250,490
65	Negambo	Gampaha	96,596	223,406
66	New Forest – Kandy	Kandy	190,000	216,000
67	Nuwara Eliya	Nuwara Eliya	199,250	197,000
68	Peradeniya agmet.	Kandy	181,000	231,000
69	Ratmalana	Colombo	102,086	179,486
70	Ratnapura	Ratnapura	166,500	167,500
71	Rayigama	Kalutara	135,026	173,996
72	Tabbowa Irrigation	Puttlam	109,772	316,736
73	USK Valley	Kalutara	140,516	152,036
74	Vavuniya	Vavuniya	170,162	391,400
75	Wariyapola Expt. Station	Kurunagala	142,250	270,250
76	Welimada group – Badulla	Badulla	215,500	190,500
77	Pallegama group-Niyadurupola	Kegalle	141,797	218,465
78	Wellawaya	Monaragala	236,250	170,000
79	Udaveriya, West Haputale	Badulla	208,000	177,500
80	Wewalthalawa Est	Kegalle	157,500	205,250
81	Wewessa estate	Badulla	235,500	195,000
82	Canyon	Nuwara Eliya	173,456	186,074
83	Castlereigh	Nuwara Eliya	177,848	184,976
84	Diyabeduma	Polonnaruwa	210,788	301,364
85	Polontalawa	Kurunagala	115,262	278,306
86	Galoola Estate	Badulla	241,532	206,936
87	Galphele	Kandy	192,122	237,680
88	Giritale tank	Polonnaruwa	216,500	316,000
89	Katukitula – Helbodde	Nuwara Eliya	188,000	209,750
90	High Forest Estate	Nuwara Eliya	206,396	206,936
91	Hingurakgoda	Polonnaruwa	220,500	315,500
92	Hope Estate-Daraoya	Nuwara Eliya	197,000	210,250
93	Kalarr	Trincomalee	254,708	341,990
94	Kalatuwawa	Colombo	135,000	185,000
95	Kandekatiya	Badulla	227,258	217,916
96	Kandy Kings Pavillion	Kandy	185,000	233,000
97	Kundasale farm – Kandy	Kandy	191,500	232,250
98	Undugoda	Kegalle	155,888	213,524
99	Mahagalkadawala – Galgamuwa	Kurunagala	146,006	316,736
100	Maussakelle	Nuwara Eliya	175,250	183,800
101	Maha Illuppallama – Anuradhapura	Anuradhapura	167,000	322,250
102	Okkampitiya – Moneragala	Monaragala	259,000	171,750
103	Pottuvil	Ampara	316,196	186,074

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Hemachandra, E.M.G.P., Dayawansa, N.D.K., De Silva, R.P. (2020). Developing a Composite Map of Vulnerability to Rainfall Extremes in Sri Lanka. In: Haque, A., Chowdhury, A. (eds) Water, Flood Management and Water Security Under a Changing Climate. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-47786-8_4

Download citation

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-47786-8_4
Published: 14 July 2020
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-47785-1
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-47786-8
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Developing a Composite Map of Vulnerability to Rainfall Extremes in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Access this chapter

References

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Appendix

Appendix

Rights and permissions

Copyright information

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Download citation

Share this chapter

Publish with us

Search

Navigation