Managing shallow aquifers in the dry zone of Sri Lanka

Sood, Aditya; Manthrithilake, Herath; Siddiqui, Salman; Rajah, Ameer; Pathmarajah, S.

doi:10.1007/s10661-015-4584-5

Cited by 7 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…In addition, 59% of groundwater the threshold value (3000 µS cm −1 ) for irrigation and majority of them (>50%) located in lowlands (<2 masl) close proximity to coast. This finding is consistent with that of Sood et al [47] who also found higher salinity levels near coastal regions in Jaffna Peninsula compared to inland during both pre-and post-monsoon periods. It should be noted that the overall water sampling was conducted in the wells which are located within 3.5 km proximity to the coast, hence the statistical considerations are conditioned/bounded by the sample selection.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Assessment of Spatial and Temporal Trend of Groundwater Salinity in Jaffna Peninsula and Its Link to Paddy Land Abandonment

2020

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Salinization is an explicit global threat faced by coastal low lands. The increased seawater ingression into groundwater due to various climatic and anthropogenic factors affects functioning of ecosystems, biodiversity and the sustainability of coastal agriculture. This study was undertaken to investigate the changes in groundwater salinity in Jaffna Peninsula over a 20-year period and its relationship with paddy land abandonment. Permanently abandoned paddy areas were mapped using historical Landsat images, while groundwater salinity changes in 63 agricultural wells for the period 1999 to 2019 were analysed. The trend in salinity, including proximity to the coast, was examined. The results showed that approximately 8178 ha (43% of total paddy land) of paddy lands had been permanently abandoned while the groundwater salinity had increased by 1.6-fold over the last two decades. An increasing salinity trend with decreasing distance from the coast was observed. Presently, nearly 59% of the wells showed salinity levels that were unsuitable for crop irrigation. The results underline the need for urgent and effective management of groundwater resources in order to maintain the sustainability of the existing paddy lands and ensure availability of potable water for consumption along the coastal low land areas of Jaffna Peninsula.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Assessment of Spatial and Temporal Trend of Groundwater Salinity in Jaffna Peninsula and Its Link to Paddy Land Abandonment

2020

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“…Jaffna Peninsula relies solely on groundwater for all its needs in the absence of perennial rivers and major water supply schemes. It has been estimated that there are 19,500 agro-wells in Jaffna Peninsula, ranging from 15 to 200 wells per sq km [11]. Most of these wells have high levels of water salinity, and extensive use of these for irrigation adds to the salt in the soil.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Linking Long-Term Changes in Soil Salinity to Paddy Land Abandonment in Jaffna Peninsula, Sri Lanka

Gopalakrishnan

Kumar

2021

Agriculture

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Soil salinity is a serious threat to coastal agriculture and has resulted in a significant reduction in agricultural output in many regions. Jaffna Peninsula, a semi-arid region located in the northern-most part of Sri Lanka, is also a victim of the adverse effects of coastal salinity. This study investigated long-term soil salinity changes and their link with agricultural land use changes, especially paddy land. Two Landsat images from 1988 and 2019 were used to map soil salinity distribution and changes. Another set of images was analyzed at four temporal periods to map abandoned paddy lands. A comparison of changes in soil salinity with abandoned paddy lands showed that abandoned paddy lands had significantly higher salinity than active paddy lands, confirming that increasing salts owing to the high levels of sea water intrusion in the soils, as well as higher water salinity in wells used for irrigation, could be the major drivers of degradation of paddy lands. The results also showed that there was a dramatic increase in soil salinity (1.4-fold) in the coastal lowlands of Jaffna Peninsula. 64.6% of the salinity-affected land was identified as being in the extreme saline category. In addition to reducing net arable lands, soil salinization has serious implications for food security and the livelihoods of farmers, potentially impacting the regional and national economy.

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“…According to Punyawardena et al (2013), the Northern Province which includes Jaffna is one of the extreme representatives of the low country dry zone of Sri Lanka, already experiencing above average ambient temperatures and below average precipitations. Moreover, its groundwater-based cropping systems with high exploitation of irrigation water from shallow aquifers makes farming activities vulnerable to climate change (Sood et al, 2015). Thus formulation, testing and adoption of climate change-adaptive options to enhance the adaptive capacity of agriculture based livelihoods in the most vulnerable areas is an urgent requirement (Howden et al, 2007;Meinke et al, 2009 andLobell, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of a climate change-adaptive, eco-friendly agronomic package for potato (<em>Solanum tuberosum</em> L.) cultivation in the farmer fields of the Jaffna district of Sri Lanka

Eeswaran¹,

Costa²,

Costa³

et al. 2016

Trop. Agric. Res.

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Potato is one of the key annual upland cash crops cultivated in the Jaffna District of Sri Lanka. However, potato farmers are challenged by climate extremes, increasing pest/disease loads and excessive use of agro-chemicals all of which are expected to increase in the future. To address these critical issues, a package of climate changeadaptive and eco-friendly agronomic practices that included mulching to conserve soil moisture, integrated pest management for crop protection and site-specific fertilizer management for efficient crop-soil nutrient management (adaptation package) was formulated and tested on potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) crops in seven farmer fields in Jaffna. The experiment was conducted in the major rainy season (Maha) of 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 and consisted of two treatments as Adaptation package (T 1) and Existing practice (T 2), which is the current farmers' practices characterized with heavy reliance on chemical control of pests and diseases and application of inorganic fertilizers subsequent to decisions of farmer. The results revealed significant (p<0.05) benefits of the above climate changeadaptive, eco-friendly agronomic package in terms of growth, yield, economic profit and environmental health of potato cultivation. Benefits of the adaptation package were greater in the drier and warmer 2014/15 Maha season, thus demonstrating its climate resilience. Therefore, the tested adaptation package can be recommended for adoption by the farmers to improve the yield of potato while promoting lower water and agro-chemical use thereby having increased resilience to climate change and improved environmental sustainability especially in the dry regions where potato is cultivated.

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Managing shallow aquifers in the dry zone of Sri Lanka

Cited by 7 publications

References 10 publications

Assessment of Spatial and Temporal Trend of Groundwater Salinity in Jaffna Peninsula and Its Link to Paddy Land Abandonment

Assessment of Spatial and Temporal Trend of Groundwater Salinity in Jaffna Peninsula and Its Link to Paddy Land Abandonment

Linking Long-Term Changes in Soil Salinity to Paddy Land Abandonment in Jaffna Peninsula, Sri Lanka

Evaluation of a climate change-adaptive, eco-friendly agronomic package for potato (<em>Solanum tuberosum</em> L.) cultivation in the farmer fields of the Jaffna district of Sri Lanka

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