My late response (haha): First, you would write a proportion.
Step 1: 2496 over 48 = x over 31
(x represents the area of the land that is not fenced).
Step 2: Cross multiply
2496 times 31 and x times 48
Step 3: Calculate
77376 = 48x
Step 4: Divide both sides by 48
77376/48 = 1612
48x/48 = x
Step 5: Write it as a sentence
The area of the land that is not fenced is 1612 squared meters.
Hope that helped! Good luck! :]