COLOMBO, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's upcountry landscape has changed in several locations following landslides triggered by Cyclone Ditwah, the country's Surveyor General N.K.U. Rohana said, as reported by local news outlet Daily Mirror on Friday.
This situation requires an update to the national land-use map series, said the surveyor general. He said the Survey Department plans to obtain high-resolution satellite images from space stations orbiting Sri Lanka to support an accurate re-mapping process. The new imagery is expected to help identify landslide-hit areas and assess damage to river basins, land, and agricultural zones.
He noted that detailed satellite images will be requested once the disaster situation stabilizes and repairs to water bodies and roads progress further. The department has already gathered several low-resolution images from affected provinces and begun initial studies.
The Survey Department is also seeking international assistance to obtain high-resolution images, and has approached China, India, Japan, the United States, and Russia through diplomatic channels in this regard. China has already provided several close-up images showing flooded and landslide-affected areas. ■