Abstract:
Demand for construction materials in the Eastern province of Sri Lanka has risen significantly due to accelerated construction work in progress to
restore the destroyed infrastructures during the civil war. Ground surveying
methods to locate quarries within this area are not applicable due to security
reasons and inaccessibility. Thus a Remote Sensing method is suitable for this task.
This study introduces a methodology to locate suitable quarries and sand mines for
constructions in the Eastern province. LANDSAT ETM+ images were used for
classification. Feasible rocks and sand deposits for quarry operations were located
using Multicriteria Analysis (AHP). Four different criteria were used by assigning
weights to each criterion. Proximity to roads, construction locations, important
places and land use type were the four criteria used. Rocks and sand deposits were
given a map value according to the suitability and divided in to four groups. The
highly suitable rock quarries and sand deposits were considered in closest facility
analysis. The results showed that the integration of Remote Sensing (RS) and
Geographic Information System (GIS) can serve as an effective tool in demarcating
suitable sites for construction material and this methodology can also be applied for
projects of similar nature.
Citation:
Palamaumbure, D., Colombage, H.D.P., Kodippili, T.K.A., Wickramasekara, K.T., Premasiri, H.M.R., Abeysinghe, A.M.K.B., Chaminda, S.P., & Dissanayake, D.M.D.O.K. (2010). In N. P. Ratnayake, A.M.K.B. Abeysinghe, H.M.R. Premasiri & S. Karunarathna (Eds.), Proceedings of the 5th Annual Conference on Earth Resources for National Development (pp. 1-4). Department of Earth Resources Engineering, University of Moratuwa.