1.2 mn hectares of lands gone redundant

Some 1.2 million hectares of land in the dry zone have gone redundant and are of limited use due to various human activities, Presidential Expert Committee on Sustainable Sri Lanka 2030 Vision appointed by President Maithripala Sirisena has pointed out.

A report presented by the committee has stated that the forest cover had dwindled to 29 percent of the total land area owing to invasion of State lands by the landless farmers, among others.

One thirds of the lands have faced considerable soil erosion and there are unstable lands in many districts, it further said.

Land encroachment for housing construction, cultivation of tea and other field crops, land use for infrastructure as well as development and increase in the demand for furniture for household and business establishments have also contributed to deforestation in the country, the report further said.