A city is a large human settlement. People are the main driving force in a city. The dynamism of a city is dependent on people and their behaviour. A preliminary understanding of the composition and diverse capabilities of the populations in a city should be the key to a successful urban study.
This section provides a description of the demographic status and trends in the city, primarily based on 2012 census data, presenting an overall view of the population. Trends and patterns of urban population are discussed including aspects of demography such as age, sex, ethnicity, education levels; and overall observations with regard to migration patterns, suburban population and gender.
Understanding the demographic and composition patterns of the population within the existing physical boundary will help in planning a livable city.
Source - Divisional Secretariat Office - Kotapola
Gender Population - 2018
A city needs to have an environment that is habitable and conducive with appropriate spaces for people who use the city, while also being resilient in the face of increasing climate risk.
Aspects such as a cities’ air and water quality, quality of the built environment as well as the aesthetic and historic aspects in the city are things we need to look at. However, in the light of increasing disaster risk, managing climate change impact in the light of current urbanisation patterns becomes a key concern, and thus land use planning in a city needs to take this into account.
SDG targets 11.4 (safeguarding cultural and natural heritage) and 11.5 (reducing impacts of disasters, especially floods), 11.6 (air quality and waste) and 11.7 (safe, open and green spaces for all groups) all emphasize that for a city to be sustainable, these aspects need to be considered.
Source - Divisional Secretariat Office - Kotapola
There are more than 60º slopes in this division. Also, slopes greater than 30º make up about 60% of the total land area. In addition, a very small area is in the zones 0º - 8º and 8º-16º. About half of the Kotapola Pradeshiya Sabha area belongs to the Rakwana Buluthota mountain range which is separated from the valley of the Rakwana valley near the central hills in the interior of the country. This hill station has many mountain anomalies, such as gross slopes and soft slopes. The lowest point is about 1000 feet above sea level and the highest is about 3900 feet above sea level. Sinharaja Mountain and the surrounding peaks are the highest mountain in Matara district. Anikanda in Denia is 2655 feet above sea level. Its height is 2065, Kurulugala 3880 feet and Gongla 3900 feet. Situated amid lush slopes and soft slopes, sand is a prominent part of the area's topography.
Source - Divisional Secretariat Office - Kotapola
Kotapola Pradeshiya Sabha Division belongs to the Wet Zone evergreen forests among the flora of Sri Lanka. Sinharaja Forest Reserve, Diyadawa Forest Reserve and Paragala Horagala Forest cover about 22% of the total land area of the division. These forest reserves are of great value because of their high biodiversity. The undergrowth of these reserve forests is covered with lush green vegetation throughout the year. These rare trees are very rare and endemic to Sri Lanka. Various herbs and rare species are found in these forests.
Kotapola Pradeshiya Sabha area:
Kotapola Pradeshiya Sabha covers an area of 17550 hectares. (Data Source _ Survey Department)
Download Map Here Download Data Layer Here
Gin Ganga Flood:
Flood inundation of Gin Ganga area mapped by Department of Irrigation. Map prepared by field data collection. Inundation dates and return period is not known. (Data Source:Department of Irrigation)
Proper management of land, a scarce resource, can bring about many benefits. This is of great importance especially in urban areas.
It is timely to figure out how land is allocated and being used for what purpose in our cities today. In order to create well planned cities with a futuristic vision, having a better understanding of current land use is imperative.
Land use maps are categorized into 36 sub-categories under two types – built-up and non built-up. The extent of land in each of these sub categories are indicated below.
In all of the cities it can be identified that the higher densities are concentrated in the city centres and the expansion is taken place along the roads. The expansion pattern is shaped by the geography of the surrounding area.
The selection of the area for the urban expansion analysis was followed by several preliminary studies. Initially, the urban index values which was identified using the remote sensing information were studied in the respective municipal areas including a fringe area.
Before selecting interested area for the expansion analysis it should consider following facts
- Municipal boundary
- At least 2-3 km buffer around Municipal boundary
- Rough boundary where the physical urban character disappearing
In the remote sensing discipline, the values higher than 0 represent the built-up areas.The boundary for the fringe area was identified by getting the extent of urban expansion as well as a fine boundary where the high-density expansion become insignificant. The identified boundaries were projected on to the latest satellite images to assure the identified urban index values are in line with the existing building densities.
