SLAICE

The Sri Lanka Association of the Institution of Civil Engineers

Newsletter: September 2015 February 2016
No. 42

ICE Mission
To advance the knowledge and practice of civil engineering, to
promote the breadth and value of the civil engineers worldwide
contribution and to embrace all members of the profession.
Editors note..
25h

The SLAice AGM will be held on the

April 2016 at the
usual venue, the Royal Colombo Golf Club , Model Farm Road
,Borella. See page 6.
The Key note address at the Annual Sessions on the 25th April
will be delivered by Mr Peter Hallsworth Council Member of
ICE
The Professional Review interviews are scheduled to be held in
Sri Lanka on the 25th and 26th of April 2016.
The student participation in Slaice activities has increased this
year and a student chapter of SLAICE has been formed. A
selected number of Student Members will attend the AGM and
Annual Sessions.
SLAice is pleased to inform that the ICE Presidents 2016 Asia
Pacific Tour has been finalised. The present ICE president, Sir
John Armitt, is also the Head of City & Guilds . He is due to be in
Sri Lanka from 21-23 August 2016. The President will perform
the Presidential address, participate in Fellowship Breakfast
meetings, Site or company visits, etc. Extracts from the
Presidential Address that Sir John gave in Ireland can be found
on pgs 7-10. His full original speech can be found on:
https://www.ice.org.uk/news/ice-president-sir-john-armittinaugural-address See page 4 for more details

SLAice AGM details on pg 6

For Concessionary Subscription fees/ for all category of members,
Retired rates check ICE website: ice.org.uk/fees

General news on
submission of articles
& membership
pg 2
NEWS ITEMS:
pgs 3-5
AGM Keynote speaker:
Peter Hallsworth
ICE President s visit
Upgrade on Routes to
Membership

SLAice AGM notice

(already sent by post)
pg 6
ICE President Sir John
Armitt - biography
pg 7, 8
Extracts from ICE
Presidential address
pg 9-12
Slaice Student
Chapter:
pg 13, 14
Amendment to OPA
code of ethics pg 14
Earth Observation by
ESA
pg 15-17
Maduru Oya ancient
sluice & lost
civilization pg 18,19
SLAICE Office
Bearers 2015: pg 20

MEMBERS!!!Please send your articles to Secretary or Editor SLAICE.

Awards for the Best Article for the SLAICE newsletter The Aggregate - are as
follows:
1st place: Pounds stg 50.00; 2nd place: Pounds stg 30.00; 3rd place: Pounds stg 20.00.
Selected articles will be inserted in the next issue of the Aggregate.

The award for the best article in the aggregate will be made at the annual general
meeting /sessions
Short articles of interest for the SLAICE newsletter Aggregate
Please send any type of article, technical or otherwise, related to the civil engineering
profession/industry for publication. Even a short article of interest to the engineering community
would be accepted.

Articles to be sent to Honorary Secretary and Editor SLAICE at

Dr. Kamal Laksiri- kamallaksiri@hotmail.com
Malkanthi Tantirimudalige - mtantirimudalige@yahoo.com
Student members - To obtain the Aggregate for a nominal subscription, contact;
Honorary Treasurer SLAICE, Sri Lanka Association of the Institution of Civil Engineers,

Mr Nihal Fernando - nihalcf @ gmail.com

NOTICE Calling,

Civil Engineering Graduates from Universities,

Civil Engineering Diplomates,

Students in Civil Engineering at Universities, Institution of Engineers, S.L. (IESL),

Engineering Council (EC), Advanced Technological Institutes (ATIs), Colleges
of Technology (CoTs), Technical Colleges and other public and private TVET Institutes.

Apply for admission to the appropriate Grade of Membership, obtaining details

by visiting following website:

www.ice.org.uk
Student Membership is FREE, applications could be made on line
To obtain details of possible grade of membership and application procedure,
send brief CV to:Sri Lanka Country Representative SLAICE
Prof. Dayantha Wijeyesekera
email: dayantha@sltnet.lk

The SLAice AGM will he held on the 25th April 2016. The Key note address at the
Annual Sessions on the 25th April will be delivered by Mr Peter Hallsworth Council
Member of ICE.
Mr Peter Hallsworth is a member of the ICE Council and which is at a stage where ICE
is looking globally to places such as Sri Lanka and India. ICE is also looking at
bringing other
Built
Environment
professionals
into the
Institution.
Being a member
of the Chartered
Institution of
Highways and
Transportation
and a Fellow of
the Chartered
Institution of
Civil Engineering
Surveyors he
can offer an
update on ICE in
the global
community on
how to attract
such
professional to
ICE.

News Items
ICE President Sir John Armit s visit Sri Lanka
Sir John Armit is the President of the Institution of Civil Engineers London and also
the Head of the City and Guilds .
He will be delivering the key Note address at a Public Seminar on August 23rd,
2016,from 9.30 am at the Auditorium of the Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka. The
seminar will be open to all members of ICE including student members, Heads of
Civil Engineering Organisations and Heads and staff of Academic departments in
Civil Engineering and associated fields, Graduate and Post Graduate students of City
and Guilds.
The theme of his address will be on "Alternate routes to the ICE (Lond) Civil
Engineering Chartered Membership." This would be an excellent opportunity to ICE
Members in Sri Lanka to meet the President of the ICE.

Professional Review
Prof.Dayantha informed that late Dr.Mervyn Gunasekaras role in arranging the PR exams in
Sri Lanka has to be done by a person who has a vast experience in Professional review in
local and overseas. As such Eng.K.P.I.U.Dharmapala was elected unanimously for the PR
examinationsThe Professional Review interviews are scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka on
the 25th and 26th of April 2016.
MENTORS FOR POFESSIONAL REVIEW CANDIDATES

Sri Lanka Association of the Institution of Civil Engineers (SLAice) intends to obtain
the services of members/Ex-members of the ICE (UK) who would volunteer to
contribute their advice and guidance for young engineers/students with respect to
present criteria of selecting, v Correct membership path v Report writing
v Certification of their documents v Act as a Mentors etc. which are some key
matters necessary to be aware by applicants before obtaining ICE (UK) membership.
Those who are willing to give their services in this connection please contact by
email Mr K. P I U Dharmapala email : dharmapala@cmlmtd.net , tel no. 0777712355
giving your mrmbership number & contact details with a cc to the Country
Representative Prof Dayantha Wijeyesekera, email: icedsw@gmail.com

Important : ICE updated routes to membership have been highlighted in the last few
nesletters and more information is given on the next page. Senior Engineers please
get this message across to the young engineers whose degrees are not yet
accredited by ICE at present and are aspiring to be Corporate Members of ICE
4

Civil Engineering Graduates of Sri Lankan Institutes - ICE Routes to

Membership
The students who graduate from the institutions stated by ICE, ie all student
members of ICE, are eligible to apply for Graduate Membership of the
institution. When the ICE student members complete their degree and become
Engineering Graduates, the ICE sends them a letter asking them to send in a
transcript of their results so they can transfer them to a graduate member of
the ICE.
Note:- the graduate membership is not free it carries a subscription fee. All the
student members are eligible to apply for graduate membership.
This application can be made online. The following link provides guidance on
the information required, fees, etc:- https://www.ice.org.uk/my-ice/mymembership/graduate-application-information .
Many graduates are on the reduced rate. It is 62.50 BPS you will find more
info on the bottom of the membership section in the table on this link:https://www.ice.org.uk/my-ice/membership-documents/membership-fees-andsubscriptions#Subscription.
These graduate members will be eligible for either AMICE, MICE IEng or MICE
CEng, depending on their academic base (i.e. which degree they passed).
Individual route to membership enquires are requested to be forwarded to
internationalmdo@ice.org.uk .
The ICE website has a course search tool which students can use to find out
which grade of ICE membership they can apply for, based on their academic
qualifications.:https://www.ice.org.uk/careers-and-professional-development/graduate-civilengineers/course-search-tool
The journey to MICE includes gaining work experience (what ICE calls Initial
Professional Development (IPD)) and then sitting a Member or Chartered >
Professional > Review (MPR / CPR).
Renee Reilly <Renee.Reilly@ice.org.uk>
Asia Pacific Area Manager
Membership Development Officer
(Trans-Tasman)
Institution of Civil Engineers
www.ice.org.uk
Civil engineers - shaping the World

March 07, 2016

Annual General Meeting of the Sri Lanka Association of the Institution of Civil
Engineers, UK

Notice is hereby given that the sixteenth Annual General Meeting of

the Sri Lanka Association of the Civil Engineers, UK (SLAICE) will
be held on Monday the 25th April 2016 at 6.00pm at the Royal
Colombo Golf Club (RCGC) No.223, Model Farm Road, Colombo 08Regency Room.
All Members are kindly requested to attend the AGM and the Fellowship to follow.
Resolutions to be adopted should reach the Secretary, SLAICE at No.134/7, Ehalape
Road, Boralasgamuwa on or before 11th April 2016.
Dinner will be served at the RCGC 8th CAF for Members, Spouses & Guests.
(Nominal charge of Rs.250/= per Member/Student, Rs 500/= from Spouses and Rs
2000/= from other Guests. who confirm their participation at the AGM/Fellowship.
Please return the Slip (sent already) to the Secretary, SLAICE on or before 19 th
April 2016. The full cost of the Dinner (Rs 2500/=) will be charged from all who
attend without prior notification.
Notice Calling for Nominations:
Nominations are invited from Corporate Members for the under mentioned posts as
per details in the attached `SPECIMEN NOMINATION FORM.
Chairman
Vice Chairman
Secretary
Asst. Secretary
Treasurer
Committee Members
Nominations should be posted to reach the Secretary, SLAICE at No No.134/7,
Ehalape Road, Boralasgamuwa on or before 11th April 2016.
The nomination paper should be submitted with the written consent of the Candidate
and his/her bio data in the prescribed format in a sealed envelope marked
`NOMINATIONS PAPER. Each Candidate shall be nominated and seconded by
Corporate Members. Nominations will be opened at the Committee Meeting to be
held prior to the AGM. An election will be held in the event there being more than
one nomination per post.

Dr.Eng.Kamal Laksiri
Secretary, SLAICE

Sir John Armitt

Sir John Armitt is currently Chairman of the National Express Group and City & Guilds, and
is Deputy Chairman of the Berkeley Group. Sir John is also a member of the Board of
Transport for London and the Airports Commission.
Sir John first served on ICE Council from and was also Chairman of the Management
Committee from 1989 to 1992. More recently Sir John has been a Vice President chairing
the International Committee and before that the UK Regional Affairs Committee. Sir John is
currently Senior Vice President.
In September 2013 Sir John published an independent review of how to improve long term
infrastructure planning in the UK. The recommendations in the Armitt Review received
widespread support and Sir John will look to build on this success to take these ideas
forward.
After leaving John Laing plc in 1993, where Sir John had been Chairman of Laings
international and civil engineering divisions, he became Chief Executive of Union Railways.
In 1997 he became Chief Executive of Costain, a position he held until 2001. Sir John was
Chief Executive of Railtrack plc from 2001-2002, Chief Executive of Network Rail from 20022007 and Chairman of the Olympic Delivery Authority from 2007-2014.
Sir John is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Institution of Civil Engineers
and City and Guilds of London Institute and has received honorary doctorates from the
universities of Portsmouth, Birmingham, Reading and Warwick. He was Chairman of the
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council from 2007-2012.

7
Sir John was awarded the CBE in 1996 for his contribution to the rail industry and received
a
knighthood in 2012 for services to engineering and construction.

ICE Presidents Visits to the Regions 2015/2016 Sir John Armitt

Biography
I am currently Chairman of the National Express Group and City and Guilds, and Deputy Chairman of
the Berkeley Group. I am also a member of the Board of Transport for London and the Airports
Commission. Having first served on ICE Council in 1989, I have since been Chairman of the
Management Committee, the International Committee and UK Regional Affairs Committee.
In 2013, I published an independent review on how to improve long term infrastructure planning in
the UK, notably the proposal to establish an Infrastructure Commission. The recommendations in
the review received widespread support and have since become Labour Party policy.
Throughout my career I have held several posts in the industry including; Chairman at John Laing plc,
Chief Executive of Costain, Chief Executive of Network Rail and Chairman of the Olympic Delivery
Authority. In 1996, I was awarded a CBE for contribution to the rail industry and a knighthood in
2012 for services to engineering and construction.
Presidential Visits
I would like to ensure that my Presidential visits add value to your efforts in delivering ICEs strategy.
I am keen to help drive up members enthusiasm for engaging with their Institution and that my
visits support our ambitions to offer more to society. Therefore I would like my Presidential visits to
be outward looking and an opportunity for regions and devolved nations to showcase what you
and your members are doing, and engage the wider membership across the UK in ICEs strategic
priorities. The specific content and location of the visit is for you to decide, but I would like it to be
relevant to my key presidential theme, which is Civil Engineering: Shaping ourselves and our world.
In my Address, I will examine:
Why civil engineers need to build and why the Institution itself needs to exist.
How ICE and civil engineers can remain relevant in today and tomorrows world helping to shape
the world.
Outlining what our offer is to the wider society and our role in helping society meet future
challenges.
Major developments in the civil engineering and construction sector over the last sixty years, such
as the development of technology and its impact, and the importance of innovation and skills.
My own personal experience as a civil engineer and projects I have worked on.
The politics of infrastructure and the Institutions role and responsibility in these debates; raising
the professions profile and reputation, and helping the Government stick to a long term strategy for
infrastructure.
I would be grateful if you could please ensure that your visits meet at least one of the three
following objectives:
1. Enable me to see real projects and attend site visits in your region/nation for me to help
promote to local communities and media the value these projects are delivering and visit local
universities with any relevant research programmes.
2. Give me the opportunity to engage and meet with a wide variety of ICE members in your
region/nation.
3. Where possible, meet key local influencers and serious decision-makers in your area. In particular,
those who do, or will, make strategic decisions over local infrastructure projects or support for
engineering education.
My wife, Beverley, will accompany me on some of the visits. Dietary requirements include no red
meat for Beverley and sadly, we both prefer no chocolate!
8
I am very much looking forward to my visits and meeting all of you.
SIR JOHN ARMITT

ICE Presidential Address, 3 November 2015

Civil engineers: Shaping ourselves and our world
Sir John Armitt
Following are extracts taken from the 24 page pdf document

Tonight I would like to look forward.

Forward to a fast changing world and to ask how best our profession, and this great Institution, can fulfil
its role.
When talking about major infrastructure projects, I often refer to the why, what and how. I argue that
too often we like to focus on the what and the how; which appeal to our natural sense of design and
delivery, or to a clients desire to see quick physical results.
But we do not spend long enough on the why.
Why do we need to build? Why this project over other alternatives? Why is this seventy year solution
appropriate, or will twenty do, and can we make more efficient use of existing infrastructure?
It is the why question that I believe can also be applied to the Institution.
Why are we here? Are we relevant to today's and tomorrow's world? To be relevant, we need to be clear
in what we offer to society, to our clients, to employers, and to ourselves as individual members.
Our Charter tells us that ICEs task is to foster and promote the art and science of civil engineering.
Are we generating and sharing the knowledge that this generation needs to tackle the problems it faces?
Are we helping people develop into professionals who ask the right why, what and how questions?
Are we asking how civil engineering relates to other technologies?
It is often said that the past can be a guide to the future.
Not just in a technical sense, but also in a behavioural sense. The human psyche has developed rather
more slowly than science and technology. ..
Civil engineering is the fundamental enabler of civilised life today and supporter of growing
populations. In societies around the world which lack basic infrastructure, modern communication
systems are raising awareness of what the best in living standards can be. They are already driving
massive demand for fundamental infrastructure in the future.
But it will not be easy to deliver.
There will be conflicting demands, insufficient funds, inconsistency of political policy, shortage of skills
and ineffective delivery.
So what is the role of this Institution in helping society to meet these challenges?

The Institution is not an inanimate lump of well-crafted stone. It is simply its members. Its future role is
dependent on your - our shared vision; our ambition; and our self-confidence.
I would like to see this Institution fulfil its role as the home of infrastructure by using this magnificent
building to showcase great civil engineers and ground-breaking structures that have shaped the world from the hidden depths of the Channel Tunnel to the wonders of the Panama Canal and the majesty of the
Olympic Park.
Why not showcase latest developments in design innovation that are shaping the world today?
The Institution must be relevant. The Institution must be valued by its members and by society. But that
value will be perceived differently according to different communities demands and expectations.
..
At the heart of ICEs mission is to qualify and support civil engineers. I know just how valuable
membership of the Institution is and how much it means to engineers. But there are many other
professionals who spend their whole careers contributing to the creation of infrastructure - who may
never seek to qualify as engineers - but who nevertheless would value and benefit from a closer
relationship with the Institution.
This, of course, would be of mutual benefit both for the Institution and its members.
Collaboration within the supply chain is now recognised as essential for the successful delivery of
projects. By opening our membership to other professionals and increasing cross discipline
collaboration, we will be more relevant to society and increase our influence.
It will help raise the professions profile and reputation, and support the development of long term
thinking.
We must not step away from this responsibility because it is too hard or too controversial. If we do,
we risk being marginalised by economists, financiers, planners and think tanks. We will only then be
asked to do the technical calculations, whilst others are succeeding in being relevant; whilst others are
answering the why question

I would now like to move on to two other issues; innovation and skills.
In today's world, as I mentioned earlier, the new technology headlines tend to be grabbed in
healthcare, in the biomedical and bioengineering world, telecommunications and digital, and in
materials technology. When it comes to the building and civil engineering sectors, big changes are
less obvious and certainly less obvious to the public.
With buildings, we are seeing the impact of a range of different technological innovations: digital
control on mechanical and electrical systems, the opportunities of remote condition monitoring, the
power of high speed computing applied to multiple simulations at the design stage, and pressure to
reduce the CO2 footprint of buildings and of our construction process.
As I look back over my career, the biggest changes are in the impact of environmental considerations
at the design stage and during construction; the impact on habitats, biodiversity, pollution control,
waste management and the use of recycled materials.
However, 50 years ago we were using recycled blast furnace slag as lightweight aggregate and
cement replacement. Today, steel, concrete, stone and bricks remain the primary materials; 1960s
modularisation went out of favour with knee jerk reactions to single failure. It has recently been seen
again, led in the UK by Laing ORourke. However, by and large, conservatism and traditional
techniques prevail.

10

Is this good enough? I don't think so.

But why is this? Lowest cost wins and wafer thin margins, with low capital base companies, all mean
there is little in reserve for research and development. This applies to both consultants and contractors.
The low margins also mean a low capacity for experiment and risk. We rarely seem to transfer the
knowledge we gain from either success or failure.
Is this a UK phenomenon, or global? I think it is essentially global.
I argued earlier for the benefits of design and construction as a single process. This can lead to
challenges and innovation.
The vertically integrated companies, particularly in Europe, are gaining strength and I believe can
provide clients with a better service. But it has not led to major changes in technology.
Infrastructure needs to find ways of using technology in order to reduce costs, improve utility efficiency
and increase life cycles.
It is interesting to see that the next generation of cars could be Apple products rather than Ford, and
Toshiba and Honda are collaborating on smart housing. If the traditional professions and companies in
the construction sector do not research, innovate or embrace new ideas coming from other technologies,
they will get left behind. They may find their lunch has been eaten by others such as Samsung or
Siemens.
So what can the Institution and its members do to encourage more innovation? I would like to suggest
the following:
We should make innovation a key value.
Create awards for exciting and challenging new ideas, including the adoption of technologies from other
industries and sectors.
Use our website and the Internet as an easy way to encourage exchange of knowledge and ideas.
Making better use of social media will drive more interaction and engagement, particularly amongst our
younger members.
While candidates are already required to demonstrate innovation to achieve chartered status, there is
scope for this to be increased by showcasing how candidates are thinking and using innovation at work.
Perhaps we should even be prepared to recognise imaginative thinking, even if is not yet being used in a
practical sense.
For those of us in client organisations, we must recognise that we will be better served by designers and
contractors who are given the opportunity to bring forward new ideas and to share the risks.

We should strive to ensure that procurement allows for innovation to be brought forward during projects.

There is a role for Government in setting long-term, demanding goals and standards, and using
contracts and procurement to incentivise technological advances.
This can apply to maintenance as well as new build.
Proper maintenance ensures sustainable and resilient infrastructure. For example, digital technology
has a major role to play in enabling condition monitoring.
If you invest in maintenance now, it will save you money down the line.
As designers and contractors, we should always be asking why, encouraging new ways and pushing
our clients to work with us and think afresh.
We don't have the public as direct clients and customers. We dont need to keep selling products. Yet,
we all tend to be risk averse in our thinking. So we must push one another. We must become more
tolerant of risk taking. .

11

As an industry we need skills at every level. As individuals, we have a vital role to play in
encouraging and influencing the training of a skilled work force through the organisations we work
with.
At the same time we must be open to engineers, especially in other countries, who do not
necessarily adopt our professional qualifications and with whom we do not have mutual
recognition.
We must learn from engineers across the world, be inspired by them and incorporate their ideas into
our work.
We must collaborate as a Learned Society.
We cannot influence or learn by remaining aloof and separate. We are part of a global network and
as such, we should interact with all those around the world who deliver civil engineering.
We need a broad professional outlook so we can be relevant to the challenges facing the built
environment. But that challenge cannot be solved from the UK alone. A broader membership would
enable ICE to offer a more holistic perspective to global issues, for the benefit of current and new
members.
It is another aspect of how we can serve society and ensure a better world.
I would like to conclude with a short allegory from one of our great political leaders that I believe
illustrates my overriding message this evening.
On the night of May 10, in 1941, one of the last bombs of one of the last serious raids on London
destroyed the House of Commons. Winston Churchills government had to subsequently consider
whether they should build it up again, and how, and when.
Churchill asked himself and Parliament the why question.
He argued to see it restored in all essentials and glory to its old form. In doing so, Churchill gave us
this famous quote:
We shape our buildings, and afterwards our buildings shape us.
We can shape our world by being open minded. Open minded to every aspect of infrastructure, not
just the pure engineering but the social, economic and environmental aspects too.
We must be open to a broad membership, and be open in our dialogue with engineers of all
disciplines across the world.
We must use every opportunity to inspire young people to join - what for me and I am sure for you is one of the most enjoyable and satisfying ways of benefiting mankind.
If we always start by asking why; it will help us to influence, to innovate and to learn.
In doing so we will end up shaping ourselves as engineers, and ultimately help shape a better world.

Extracts from the ICE Presidential Address, 3 November 2015

Civil engineers: Shaping ourselves and our world
Sir John Armitt

12

Student Chapter for Student Members in Sri Lanka of the Institution of Civil Engineers,
London
Student Chapter
Renee Rilley (Asia Pacific Area Manager , Membership Development Officer (Trans-Tasman),
Institution of Civil Engineers ) expressed the view that it is both pleasing and interesting to note
that 687 new student members signed up to the ICE from Sri Lanka during 2015. Many of these
were in the last few months of the year.
Prof.Dayantha Wijeyesekara expressed that the number of 687 students from Sri Lanka enrolled
in ICE as student members in 2015 and this would have been achieved with the inauguration of
student chapters in the institutions.

The Executive Committee of the Sri Lanka Association of the Institution of

Civil Engineers wishes to warmly welcome all the student members enrolled
in 2015 and before, to the Student Chapter.
Following are some suggestions regarding the student chapter activities:
Prof.Dayantha Wijeyesekera has suggested for the provision of a grant of LKR.75, 000.00 to the
Student Chapter which should be kept in a fixed deposit. The interest could be utilized for the
student chapter activities. Additional funds could be raised by the Student Chapter through their
activities with the concurrence of the Parent body and in a transparent manner.
Account Operation of Student Chapter
Eng.Nihal Fernando suggested having an Account in Bank of Ceylon or Peoples Bank (Preferably
Bank of Ceylon, Borella Branch) with an appropriate name.
Signatory Authorities
Senior Treasurer from the parent committee and two from the Student chapter in a combination
of Treasurer and President or Secretary is preferred for the signatory authorities.
Appointing an Auditor
Prof.Sohan Wijesekera suggested to appoint an Auditor and audited accounts to be submitted to
the Parent Committee at the end of the office.
Activities of Student Chapter
All activities and correspondence should be transparent to the parent committee. Prof.Sohan
Wijesekera expressed to have the activities based on the professional development activities.
Also, Student Chapter has to send their programme and progress along with their committee
meeting minutes to the parent body at every month. Eng. Ranjith Thabrew suggested submitting
their statement of accounts once in six months to the parent committee.

13

Student Chapter Members expressed that they are about to conduct professional development
competitions in Inter-university level and Inter-school level. Parent body agreed to donate
LKR.35, 000.00 for the prize money for this year for the proposed competition. Prof. Sohan
emphasized that all correspondence should go through the parent body.
Prof.Dayantha Wijeyesekara expressed that the breakdown of the student members in the
local institutions are readily available .The membership fee from the student members could
be utilized for the student chapter activities. However, the activities regarding the Student
chapter has to be informed to all local student members and the newsletter has to be
circulated among the group. This is very important.
Mr.Rajragavan said that through the student coordinators at the relevant institutions
membership drive is functioning and the newsletter is circulated in the group mail and
Facebook page. The SLAice EXCO needs to ensure that all steps are taken for student
members to receive all relevant information., especially regarding competitions etc.
Student members who wish to take part actively are requested to contact the coordinator.
Mr Dinusha Wijeratne will be the new SLAice coordinator of the Student Chapter.
dinusha4006@yahoo.com
The tentative date for the AGM and the Annual Session were informed to the Student Chapter
representatives and their support to hold this event is requested.

Amendment to the Code of Ethics - Organisation of Professional Associations

(OPA)
(Copied from the OPA Newsletter -February 2016 issue)
The following Amendment to the code of Ethics was adopted as proposed by Eng. Hemal
Pieris and seconded by Dr. Malik Fernando at the General Forum of the OPA held on 28th
August 2015.

A professional advising a client, shall not accept a

commission, fee or reward, from a third party.
The existing Clause 36 which was deleted with the adoption of the new clause is given
below.
A professional shall not allow his judgment to be swayed by the fact that he will receive a
commission, fee or a reward or other benefit from a third party when advising a client to
pursue one course of action rather than another.
General Secretary
OPA

14

An Introduction to Earth Observation from space by the European Space Agency

(ESA)
A compilation by MN Tantirimudalige
Applications from space programmes have made life very different. I am sure you
can think of many everyday applications? One such application is the weather
forecast. Meteorologists study the latest satellite images, which show the latest
storm systems. Satellite hurricane prediction has saved many lives. There are
numerous other examples where satellite images are very helpful, such as
supporting rescue operations after landslides, earthquakes, floods and lava flows.

Earth Observation, which really is all about monitoring of the Earth from space,
came about as a result of a variety of space programmes such as military, applied
meteorology and sciences of the atmosphere and the Earth. It became a means of
answering a host of questions. How can we detect factory emissions, burning of
forests, polluted sea areas etc.? Is it possible to recognise crops and predict the
harvest by observation from space? Earth scientists would like to explore
geological changes taking place on the surface of the Earth. Can these be
detected? Much hope for a prosperous future lies in the health of our oceans! Can
we monitor them from space?
Can remote sensing of the Earth be used to find out what is wrong with our planet
and if so can it give us a hint on how to fix it?
The European Space Agency is an intergovernmental organization dedicated to the
exploration of space. It has 22 member states contributing in varying degrees. ESA
was established in 1975 and has its headquarters in Paris, France. ESAs space
flight programme includes human spaceflight and operations of unmanned
exploration missions to other planets and the Moon, Earth Observation, science,
and telecommunication. ESAs Earth Remote Sensing satellites are continually
orbiting around the Earth allowing the equipment onboard to provide constant
data, in all weather, on our environment.
ESA maintains a space port, the Guiana Space Centre at Kourou, French Guiana
for designing and launching vehicles. The ESA Centre for Earth Observation
(also known as the European Space Research Institute or ESRIN) is located in
Frascati, Italy. It is dedicated to research involving earth observation data taken
from satellites, among other specialized activities. The European Space
Operations Centre (ESOC) operates a number of ground-based space tracking
stations for the European Space Agency. The network consists of ten ESA
owned stations. One such station is the Kiruna Station in Sweden, a radio
antenna station for communication with space craft mainly for space satellites
ERS-2, ENVISAT and ASTRIO-F missions. It is located 38 km east of Kiruna and
hosts one 15 metre and one 13 meter diameter antenna, each with S and X band
reception and S band transmission. It also hosts a GPS Tracking and Data
15
Facility antenna. Cont..

Let us have a brief look at the ESA Copernicus Earth observation programme. It
provides accurate, timely and easily accessible information to improve the
management of the environment, understand and mitigate the effects of climate
change and ensure civil security. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), optical sensors,
altimetry systems, radiometers and spectrometers, provide data through the
Contributing Missions of the Copernicus programme.
A brief description as taken from the ESA website is given below.
Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) sensors, for all weather day/night observations of
land, ocean and ice surfaces. Unlike optical systems that rely on reflected solar
radiation or thermal radiation emitted by Earth, imaging radar instruments work
independently of light and heat. Radar is an active system that transmits a beam of
radiation in the microwave region of the electromagnetic spectrum. SAR can provide
day-and-night imagery of Earth. In addition, clouds, fog and precipitation do not
have any significant effect on microwaves, so images can also be acquired
independent of weather conditions.
Optical sensors; Medium-low resolution optical sensors for information on land
cover, for example, agriculture indicators, ocean monitoring, coastal dynamics and
ecosystems. High-resolution and medium-resolution optical sensors
panchromatic and multispectral for regional and national land monitoring
activities. Very High Resolution (VHR) optical sensors for targeting specific sites,
especially in urban areas as for security applications. Optical imagers are amongst
the most common instruments used for Earth observation. They are generally nadirviewing instruments with a horizontal spatial resolution ranging of 1300 m and
swath widths in the order of tens to hundreds of km. They have many application
areas such as agriculture, land-cover mapping, damage assessment associated with
natural hazards and urban planning. They are, however, limited to cloud-free
conditions and daytime operation. Measurements may be used to infer a wide range
of parameters, including sea- and land-surface temperature, snow and sea-ice cover
and cloud cover. They supply an important source of data on processes in the
biosphere, providing information on global vegetation and its variation through the
seasons important for identifying areas of drought and early warning of food
shortages.
High accuracy radar altimeter systems for sea-level measurements and climate
applications. Radar altimeters are active sensors that use the ranging capability of
radar to measure the surface topography profile along the satellite track. They
provide precise measurements of a satellite's height above the ocean by measuring
the time interval between the transmission and reception of very short
electromagnetic pulses. A variety of parameters may be inferred using the
information from radar altimeter measurements, such as time-varying sea-surface
height (ocean topography), the lateral extent of sea ice and altitude of large icebergs
above sea level, as well as the topography of land and ice sheets, and even that of
the sea floor. Satellite altimetry also provides information for mapping sea-surface
wind speeds and significant wave heights. Cont next page

Radiometers to monitor land and ocean temperature. Spectrometer measurements

for air quality and atmospheric composition monitoring. One of the most mature uses
of Earth-observation data is in weather predication. Numerous atmospheric
chemistry instruments and various techniques are also used to measure the
composition of Earth's atmosphere. These data are used in a wide range of
applications, such as operational meteorology, volcanic eruption monitoring, air
quality forecasts, for climate studies and to support policy making.
ESA is developing a new family of satellites, called Sentinels, specifically for the
operational needs of the Copernicus programme. They are poised to deliver the
wealth of data and imagery that are central to Europes Copernicus programme. The
Sentinels will provide a unique set of observations, starting with the all-weather, day
and night radar images, high-resolution optical images for land services, data for
services relevant to the ocean and land, data for atmospheric composition
monitoring from geostationary and polar orbits, measure global sea-surface height,
primarily for operational oceanography and for climate studies.
Even when the Sentinels are operational, the Contributing Missions will continue to
be essential, delivering complementary data to ensure that a whole range of
observational requirements is satisfied.
Weather satellites are used for detection and tracking of storms, hurricanes and
tornadoes. In-situ and Global Positioning System satellites provide valuable
information on seismic and volcanic activity & earthquakes. A number of satellites
contribute to wildfire hazard management world-wide. Synthetic Aperture Radar
(SAR) data is used for ocean surveillance for oil slick detection. Multi channel and
multi-sensor data sources from geostationary satellites and polar orbiting satellites
are used for determining key monitoring parameters for forecasting droughts
Earth Observation satellites are used for the development of flood impact
prediction maps.
This article is written to give a general insight into Earth Observation through
interpretation of satellite data, which can be extremely useful in areas of the
agriculture for monitoring crops, and biological sciences for animal tracking etc. It is
useful in civil engineering to keep a track of fast depleting natural resources
particularly sand, rock aggregate etc. and for feasibility studies of dams, reservoirs
and extendable to other areas.
References: .
1. European Space Agency (ESA) online-official web site www.esa.int
2. Remote Sensing and Introduction to Geographical Information Systems OUSL
lessons written by MN Tantirimudalige

MADURU OYA ANCIENT SLUICE AND LOST CIVILISATION

By Dinusha Wijeratne
Ancient sluice on the old ruptured earthen bund was discovered in 1980s.The sluice made
up of stone slabs and bricks, are about 30 feet high, 30 feet wide and 220 feet long. The
sluice was built in two phases, the 1st of which the upper sluice dates back to 6th century
B.C. The lower sluice is believed to be older than that.(1),(2),(3)
The Indus valley or Harappa civilization was characterized by large, well planned cities
with advanced municipal sanitation. But the Harappa seemed to slowly loose their urban
cohesion, and their cities were gradually abandoned. The link between this gradual decline
and climate has been tenuous, because of a dearth of climate records from the region. So
Yama Dixit a paleoclimatologist at the University of Cambridge, U.K and her colleagues
examined sediments from Kotla Dhar, an ancient lake near northeastern edge of the Indus
Valley in Aary, India, that still seasonally floods.
Kotla Dahar is a closed basin, filled only by rain and runoff and without outlets. Thus
precipitation and evaporation alone determines its water volume. During the drought O-16
which is light to the O-18 evaporates faster, so that the remaining water in the lake and
consequently snail shells become enriched with O-18.
The team assigned ages to sediment layers using radio-carbon dating of organic matter. In
various layers they collected preserved shells tiny like snails which are made of Calcium
Carbonate ( CaCo3 ) called Aragonite. The team also looked at the Oxygen in the
Aragonite molecules, counting ratio of the rare Oxygen-18 to the prevailed Oxygen-16.
The teams reconstruction showed a spike in the relative amount of O-18, between 4200
and 4000 years ago. This suggests that the precipitation dramatically decreased during
that time. Moreover their dates suggest that the regular summer monsoons stopped for
some 200 years. David Hotel, a core author of the study of the University of Cambridge
hastens to add that the dates could be off by 100 years. Anil Guptha the director of Wedia
Institute of Himalaya Geology in Deheradun India says that the work fills a gap in the
geographic record of ancient droughts.
A monsoon hiatus (gap in the system) that began 4200 years ago parallels a dry spell that
lead to collapse of Bronze Age civilization in Egypt, Greece, and Mesopotamia. The decline
of Bronze Age has been attributed to a long term drought that began in 2000 B.C. Based on
this isotope Palioclimetologists propose that a similar fate was followed by enigmatic
Indus Valley or Harappa civilization, at about the same time.(4)

Being a south Asian country Sri Lanka also would have faced the same fate as India.
Presently we know only the age of the 1st phase of prehistoric sluice of Maduruoya. The
lower portion believed to be older than 6th century B.C. According to the written history
this had been built in only nearly 3rd century A.D. That is nine centuries after the results
given by the radio-Carbon tests .

18

Brohier who was the superintendent of surveyors in Sri Lanka had mentioned in his book
written in1934 on orders of Hon D.S Senanayke Minister of Agriculture, Blair writing in
1898 there is a strange legend currently among the Wedds living in Bintenna North that
Minneriya tank was 1st built centuries before the time of king Maha Sena that it was
breached totally, and that in his reign and before the bed of the tank was a famous hunting
ground of the Weddas who had spread themselves over a great part of the land. According to
weddas, Maha Sena only restored the tank and compensated their ancestors for having
submerged their hunting grounds5.
Kalawewa is also another large reservoir in Sri Lanka. This had been covered with thick
jungle and had been re-constructed in Victorian era in1860s. It was again augmented under
the Mahaweli Development Scheme after nearly another century in1970s. An ancient sluice
was uncovered in the exact place where the new right bank sluice was planned to be
constructed, which was not detected during the Victorian period reconstruction of the
tank. Kalawewa and Maduru oya, and Minneriya ancient sluices are required to assign ages
for various construction periods from the foundation stage using radio-carbon dating to
determine how much old our knowledge in major civil engineering works.
. During the studies done regarding the collapse of irrigation dam in the Darling Downs (in
Australia) engineers found that during the 10 years of drought the extreme point of shrinking
of earth particles occurred and cracking leading to structural weakness was the result. The
pressure suddenly developed with the quick filling of the lake during the heavy rains and the
seepage through the dam led to the disaster. Now engineers are studying to avoid such
destructions (6)
If a research could be organized by ICE with the help of paleoclimatologist branch of a
university who is interested in the South Asia drought lasted for 200 years, it would help us
also to find the reason for decline of ancient civilization and also to show the oldness of our
civil engineering knowledge. Also we can argue that Sri Lanka would have faced the same
type of destruction as Darling Downs if we could find the age of those ancient sluices and
studies and also regarding droughts based on Oxygen isotopes by Palioclimetologists.
References: .
1.Maduru Oya marvel and roads less travelled www.island.lk\index.pho?page_cat=articaldetails &page=article The Island March 26th, 2014
2. (maduru oya national park-time online-official web site
www.sundaytimes.lk/040425/funday/2 html )
3. (Wikipedia maduru oya national Park http://en.wikipedia.org\wiki\maduru_oya_national
park)
4.200 year Drought Doomed Indus Valley Civilization www.scientific American.com//200year-drought-doomed-indus-valley-civilisation/ note: This article was first published on march
3rd 2014 in Magazine Nature and had been republished with the consent of the author.
5 Ancient Irrigation Works in Ceylon Part 1( in page20 ) Brohier
6. New Civil Engineer Magazine, March 2011

19

Dear Colleagues and Aspirants of ICE Membership,

I wish to encourage all those aspiring or those who would be interested in your establishment to obtain
Membership of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) London to peruse the attached information and to make
the necessary applications before the deadline.
For those pursuing Civil Engineering courses , Student Membership of the institution is possible online by
visiting www.ice.org.uk/students
Those who have graduated could seek other levels of ICE Membership by applying as indicated in the
attachment.
Further information could be obtained from me or from the International Membership Manager, Ms Rebecca
Webster at email address rebecca.webster@ice.org.uk.
Kindly note that deadlines are specified in the attachment which have to be strictly conformed to.

Best Regards
Prof Dayantha Wijeyesekera
ICE Country Representative for S.L.

Sri Lanka Association of the Institution of Civil Engineers (SLAICE)

SLAICE office bearers and committee members for 2014/15:

Chairman:

Prof. Sohan Wijesekera

Past Chairman:

Prof. Dayantha Wijeyesekera

Vice Chairman:

Eng. M.D.Karunaratne

Secretary:

Eng. Dr. Kamal Laksiri

Treasurer:

Eng. M Nihal C Fernando

Editor:

Eng. MalkanthiTantirimudalige

Committee:

Eng. Dr. S.B.Wijekoon , Eng. Berton Jayasekera, Eng.Hemal Pieris,

Eng Ranjith Thabrew. Eng. K.P.I.U.Dharmapala, Eng.Mohan Siribaddana,
Eng Yasoja Gunawardena , Eng.DinushaWijeratne
Eng.Mahalingam Ramanasundaran, Eng.Udaya Dissanayake
Eng. Pradeep Alas