Delft3D Model-based Alongshore Sediment Transport Rates at Pesalai, Gurunagar, Point Pedro and Mullaitivu, Sri Lanka (Phase 2 Report)

In November 2015, UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education was invited to to perform a detailed, state-of-the-art numerical modelling study to comprehensively assess the present-day longshore sediment transport regimes along the North coast of Sri Lanka to inform the planned construction of four fishery harbours along the North coast of Sri Lanka. 

The overall study consists of two Phases. Phase 1 will develop a coarse hydrodynamic model to simulate the dominant large scale wave, wind and tide driven circulation patterns and use those results to design and implement a bathymetric survey of the four study areas (Pesalai, Gurunagar, Point Pedro and Mullaitivu) which will feed into Phase 2. Phase 2 will perform detailed coastal sediment transport modelling for the four sites, and assess the prevailing alongshore sediment transport regime in the four study areas. 

This document dated October 2016, provided for the ADB project 49325-001 and 49325-002 in Sri Lanka, constitutes the deliverable of the second phase of this project and documents the details pertaining to the application of the Delft3D/SWAN model suite to the four study areas, and provides estimates of net and gross longshore sediment transport rates and recommendations for the three sites. Note that the construction of the harbour at Mullaitivu was abandoned during the course of this study, and hence only a sediment budget is provided for this site.