This describe

1. Case Study Report
Environmental Impact of limestone quarries in
Matale District
(Application of GIS and Remote Sensing 442-1)
M.M.B.S. Silva
UWU/EAG/13/0035
Export Agriculture
4th Year 1st Semester

2. 1. Title: Environmental Impact of limestone quarries in Matale District
2. Objectives:
To identify location of limestone quarries
To identify environmental impact of limestone quarries
To find solutions for the environmental impact of limestone quarries
3. Introduction:
The term limestone is applied in a very broad sense many forms of calcium
carbonate, each with distinct physical properties and occurring nature as a variety of
rocks. Limestone quarrying is applied all methods to use for obtaining a mineral
deposits from open excavations and or quarries.
Lime making is a well-established Cortege industry in this area. The industry
pioneers in Matale passed down their expertise to the next generation, which despite its
archaism has withstood the test of time.
The Limestone quarrying results in changes in the landscape and deforestation
which impacts on biodiversity, soil, water beds and mineral dispersion in the land. All
mechanical processes including crushing limestone, milling and finish goods
transportation result in fugitive dust emissions and consumption of energy for
mechanical activity.
Limestone is big business but the need for limestone has to be balanced against
the economic, environmental and social effects. Some factors that have to be
considered include:
ffect on employment – increased job opportunities
– noise, sound and air
This case study to evaluate some of the effects of the limestone industry.
Limestone quarries are visible from long distances and may permanently disfigure the
local environment. Quarrying is a heavy industry that creates noise and heavy traffic,
which damages people's quality of life. By land use and land cover mapping has a great
significance in scientific, scholarly research, planning and management in today.
Regional land use pattern reflects the character of interaction between man and
environment and the influence of distance and resources based on peoples’ basic
economic activities.

3. Conventional methods for gathering demographic data, censuses, and analysis of
environmental samples are not adequate for multifaceted environmental studies. By
mapping those features can study about how Limestone quarries affect to the
environment.
A map and the satellite images of Kawudupelella village in Matale District,Sri
Lanka from google earth have been used for this study. Those were analyzed using Arc
GIS 10.4 and Arc view softwares.
4. Description of the study area:
Kawudupelella village is situated in Matale district 11 kilometers away from the
Matale town. It belongs to the Matale district, Central province in Sri Lanka. The
elevation of the village is 400m (7.55 N latitudes and 80.62 E longitudes) .Two limestone
quarries are located within Kawdupelella village. Main cultivations in this area are paddy
and vegetable. Coconut cultivation is also can be seen. Those are done in small scale.
And spices such as pepper and clove also cultivated in most of the home gardens
People in this area suffered from limestone quarries. Ground blasting, soil erosion
and environmental pollution due to dust are the main problem faced by people in this
area.
3.1: Map of study area

4. 5. Data and Methodology
METHODOLOGY
1. Data regarding the study area was obtained by Google earth.
2. Satellite maps were used to identify the Limestone quarries in selected area.
3. Satellite images in selected area were taken with relevant coordinates and images were
saved in JPG format.
4. Those images were geo referenced and digitized by using Arc map 10.4 software.
5. The shape files which needed to create polygon, point and line layers were also created
6. Then the images were digitized. Polygon, point and line layers were created accordingly.
Attribute tables for each layer were created. Those layers were then opened used Arc
GIS.
7. Then the colors were assigned to different features in the layers according to the attribute
table.
8. Finally other map features (legend, scale etc) were added and the map layouts were
obtained.
9. Finally, Environmental Impact of limestone quarries the was identified using digitized
map.

5. ±
0 0.15 0.3 0.45 0.60.075
Miles
Results:
Environmental Impact of Limestone quarries in Matale District
Study Area: Kawudupelella Area in Matale District

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±
0 0.15 0.3 0.45 0.60.075
Miles
Results
Environmental Impact of Limestone quarries in Matale District
Study Area: Kawudupelella Area in Matale District
Legend
Limestone Quarry
Granite Quarry
Forest
Paddy Fields
Coconut
Rubber
Other Cultivatipons
Underuilized Land
Home Gardens
!
Water Spring
Streams
Rivers
"
Building
Sub Roads
Main Road

7. 6. Discussion:
Location: Kawudupelella area which two limestone quarries are located. One limestone quarry
is spread around 3-4 Acres and anotherone spread around 5Acres.
Importance: Produce limestone granular for lime powder production.
Use for construction industry
Generate employment opportunities for people who live within village
Rapid growth of construction activity, to meet the modern day requirements of
increasing population and housing and infrastructure development needs of the society, has
immensely boosted the demand for building materials in Matale district. Stone quarrying
continues to play major role in this process.
However, the activity has caused serious environmental degradation and socio-
economic conflicts in the study area. The major environmental and socio-economic problems
related to quarrying revealed landscape alteration, hill cutting affecting local biodiversity,
generation of unproductive wastelands, dust pollution, noise pollution, illegal stone extraction,
accidents and in some areas lowering of groundwater table.
In Kawudupelella village, there are abandoned as well as ongoing two limestone
quarries and stone crushers, surrounded by agricultural lands. According to the visual
observations, area of home gardens is relatively large. Comparatively large portion of land is
covered by the forest. This can be used for cultivations such as vegetables and spices but those
activities should not affect the forest adversely. But around the limestone quarries there is huge
effect for environment and translocate the fauna.
That Limestone quarries have started underground blasting also. For supply
limestone for increasing demand the owners of limestone quarries going to expand their
process. The central environmental authority had issued license for those limestone quarries
without the environmental analysis. People who lived around the limestone quarries cannot
take action against those work due to prominent power which the owners obtain within time.
The village consist building houses, shops, school and other buildings because it
is somewhat small town. But after the increasing spread of quarries and blasting. People want
to move for another area, by selling their lands. But people who are brought the land again
settle the village. It affect to reduce the value of lands.
The coconut cultivated area is surrounded the one limestone querry. Therefore this
land area may be reduced because most of the coconut cultivated lands are converted into

8. housing schemes these days. Therefore in agricultural aspects, new projects can be carried out
to improve paddy, vegetable and spice cultivations in this area.
7. Conclusion:
Damages:
Agriculture: These ongoing stone quarries and stone crushers, surrounded by agricultural
lands. Quarry cluster is also surrounded by agricultural land which shows presence of a canal
near the quarries. The dust occur during limestone crushing caused for water pollution. The
water is became basic also. Soil erosion is happened and it was badly affect to the Agriculture
of this area.
Environment: Continuous quarrying and stone crushing operation were found to be the main
sources of dust and noise pollution in the area. The quarrying and stone crushing activity is
affecting the local environment in the region. The Forest and agricultural lands replaces by the
spread of quarries. Biodiversity of area also reduce due to limestone quarries.
Social: There are some house schemes nearby limestone quarries. One of the major concerns
about the quarrying activity is the safety of people around the quarries. Since most quarries
are located in close proximity to houses, and the locals are more prone to the accidents caused
by the stone quarrying activities. Limestone quarries lack protection of retaining walls or
fences around the border of the steep sloped quarry. Increased environmental degradation and
socio- economic conflicts.
Water spring: There are some natural water springs which added value to the area. But now
there is a problem of water pollution due to dust and reduce the level of water.
7. References
1) An attempt to reduce impacts of limestone quarries through biodiversity assessment
and translocation: A case study at the Holcim Limestone Quarry Site in Puttalam, Sri
Lanka
www.ajcb.in/journals/full...july.../1_AJCB-Vol2-No1-Kumarasinghe%20et%20al.pdf
Date Accessed: 2017/03/02
2) Potential Environmental Impacts of Quarrying Stone in Karst-— A Literature Review
https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2001/ofr-01-0484/ofr-01-0484so.pdf
Date Accessed: 2017/03/02