Abstract:
The coastline of Sri Lanka extends over appro~imately
1500 km. Beaches are found along most of the coastline and
these are of great aesthetic value, providing a pleasant
environment for the benefit of the people. In the west,
southwest and south, the beaches are fairly narrow and
they experience periodical erosion and accretion depending
on prevailing climatic and hydrological conditions. Elsewhere the beaches are wider, favoured by sand deposition
during certain periods of the year which outweighs erosion
losses at other times. 1n the southwest and northeast of
the Island, a series of rocky headlands, bays, lagoons
and lakes, constitute the main geomorphological features.
Between the head~ands are bays which generally have stable
shores. The southwest coast has undergone much erosion
over the last few centuries and the intensity has increased
many fold during the last two to three decades. The rocky
islets seen in places just off shore, are reminders of a
coastline ~hich existed in the not too distant past. On
tte eastcoast, sand deposits have helped to form many lagoons, lakes and swamps and these are evidence of a growing
coastline (Cooray, 1967).
Sand dunes are not generally associated wit~ tropical climates (Ranwell, 1972). However, well dev?loped dunes are a
conspicuous feature over about 22% of the coast (Swan,
1979). These are found in the northwest, northeast and
southeast. At certain places on the southwest coast and
elsewhere, less well developed dune formations called berms
are found (Appendix I). These berms perform a very useful
function in protecting low - lying areas in10nd.Some of
,these land forms are found at Akurala in the southw~st, at
Koggala in the south and along the westcoast from Hendala
to Negombo
