ICE Mission

To advance the knowledge and practice of civil engineering, to promote the breadth and value of the civil engineer’s worldwide contribution and to embrace all members of the profession.

SLAICEThe Sri Lanka Association of the Institution of Civil Engineers

Newsletter: September 2015 – February 2016 No. 42

Editor’s note…………..

The SLAice AGM will be held on the 25h 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 President’s 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-armitt-

inaugural-address See page 4 for more details

SLAice AGM details on pg 6

•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 20For Concessionary Subscription fees/ for all category of members,

Retired rates – check ICE website: ice.org.uk/fees

2

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

3

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.

4

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 Gunasekara’s 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

5

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/my-

membership/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-and-

subscriptions#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-civil-

engineers/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

6

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 08-

Regency 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 CAFÉ 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 19th

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

7

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 Laing’s 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 2002-2007 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.

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.

8

ICE President’s 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 ICE’s 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 ICE’s 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 tomorrow’s 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 Institution’s role and responsibility in these debates; raising

the profession’s 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! I am very much looking forward to my visits and meeting all of you. SIR JOHN ARMITT

9

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 client’s 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 ICE’s 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?

10

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 ICE’s 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 profession’s 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 O’Rourke. However, by and large, conservatism and traditional

techniques prevail.

11

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 don’t 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. …………………………………………………………………….

12

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 Churchill’s 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

13

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.

14

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

15

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. ESA’s space

flight programme includes human spaceflight and operations of unmanned

exploration missions to other planets and the Moon, Earth Observation, science,

and telecommunication. ESA’s 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

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 nadir-

viewing instruments with a horizontal spatial resolution ranging of 1–300 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……

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

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.

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 Europe’s 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.

•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.

18

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 team’s 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 .

19

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 grounds’’5.

Kalawewa is also another large reservoir in Sri Lanka. This had been covered with thick

jungle and had been re-constructed in Victorian era in1860’s. It was again augmented under

the Mahaweli Development Scheme after nearly another century in1970’s. 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=artical-

details &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/…/200-

year-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

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

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.