Digital Repository

Impact of climate and irrigation practices on hydrological aspects of Bundala wetlands in Sri Lanka

Show simple item record

dc.contributor.author Patabendige, K. M. K.
dc.contributor.author Amarasinghe, M. D.
dc.contributor.author Ratnayake, R. M.
dc.date.accessioned 2023-05-10T07:14:39Z
dc.date.available 2023-05-10T07:14:39Z
dc.date.issued 2023
dc.identifier.citation Patabendige, K. M. K., Amarasinghe, M. D., Ratnayake, R. M. C. S., & Dahanayaka, D. D. G. L. (2023). Impact of climate and irrigation practices on hydrological aspects of Bundala wetlands in Sri Lanka. Irrigation and Drainage. https://doi.org/10.1002/ird.2797 en_US
dc.identifier.uri http://repository.kln.ac.lk/handle/123456789/26289
dc.description.abstract Bundala wetlands are the first to be declared a Ramsar wetland reserve in Sri Lanka. Two wetlands of this complex have transformed from seasonally inundated saline areas into permanent freshwater ecosystems, resulting in spatial and temporal changes that presumably have favoured plant invasions. We hypothesized that climate/rainfall changes and irrigation practices would be the most potential drivers of this change, and the objective of this research is to empirically determine the influence of rainfall and irrigation practices in the catchment on inundation pattern and plant nutrient availability that could potentially change ecology of these wetlands. Monthly rainfall data for the Bundala area (1988–2017) from Sri Lanka's meteorological department were analysed by parametric and nonparametric statistical methods, and a statistically significant change in rainfall was not discernible, confirming climate change is unlikely to be a driver to increase the lagoon water level. Irrigation data analysis revealed that these wetlands receive nearly 1.28 × 107 m3 of irrigation drainage annually from an irrigation scheme in the immediate catchment, which has resulted in decreased salinity, while inundation and plant nutrient content increased, changing the wetlands' ecology and socioeconomic status of the dependent rural communities. en_US
dc.publisher Irrigation and Drainage en_US
dc.subject coastal wetlands, hydrological changes, irrigation practices, plant invasion, rainfall en_US
dc.title Impact of climate and irrigation practices on hydrological aspects of Bundala wetlands in Sri Lanka en_US


Files in this item

This item appears in the following Collection(s)

Show simple item record

Search Digital Repository


Browse

My Account