Title: Capacity Building on Environmentally Sustainable Rural Infrastructure Construction and Monitoring and On site Training
Key words: Sustainable Environment, Infrastructure Development, Livelihood Improvement, Rural Development, District, Sri Lanka, Empowerment, Security and Social Inclusion
Client: Ministry of Economic Development, Government of Sri Lanka
In Collaboration with the Empowerment, Security & Social Inclusion Project of North and East of Sri Lanka project (Reawakening Project) of Ministry of Economic Development Sri Lanka
Number of Water Practitioners Trained (Direct Beneficiaries) – Approximately 140 Environmental Monitoring and Technical Staff engaged in Construction Supervision related to Rural infrastructure development in the Reawakening Project
Indirect Beneficiaries: Community recipient stakeholders in the respective districts
Duration of Each Training – Short Sessions of 1 -2 days at each station covering approximately 12 locations with repeated training (period 2011 -2013)
Spatial Coverage – 10 Districts Northern, North Western, North East, North Central and Eastern Provinces of Sri Lanka –Putlam, Mannar, Vavunia, Kilinochchi, Jaffana, Mullativu, Trincomalee, Baticaloa, Polonnaruwa, Anuradhapura
Course Team: Professor N.T.S. Wijesekera and UMCSAWM staff
Course Brief: Lectures on the sustainable development of rural infrastructure including roads, community buildings, rehabilitation of village reservoirs. Methods of supervision and monitoring, key areas that need to be looked at for the sustenance of the infrastructure being constructed along with the sustenance of the environment in which the infrastructure is placed. Uses of rapid assessment techniques, key data collection requirements, visual observation methods, qualitative and quantitative indicator development. Hands on exercises were conducted with the group-wise practical work by visiting sub project locations and with visual observations, detail inspection form files and with extensive stakeholder consultation on pre and post situations about each project. In summary main capacity building was in the areas of Development of Rapid Environmental Evaluation Formats, Development of evaluation guides for sustainable infrastructure construction, Project Monitoring while ensuring sustainable development goals.
