Hydraulic And Water Resources Engineering Division
The Hydraulic and Water Resources Engineering Division functions within the Department of Civil Engineering of the University of Moratuwa. The staff are actively involved in teaching and research at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels and also provide consultancy services to the industry. The Division comprises a Water Resources Group and a Coastal Engineering group with many staff having obtained postgraduate qualifications from leading universities abroad.
What we do …
- Conduct Undergraduate Teaching
- Conduct Postgraduate Courses
- Research and Development
- Consultancy for Public and Private Sector Institutions
Undergraduate Program
Hydraulic Engineering at the undergraduate level covers the first, second, third and fourth years of the Degree Course specializing in Civil Engineering. During this period students are exposed to a range of topics covering fluid mechanics, hydrology, irrigation, hydropower, coastal and environmental engineering. Students are also made aware of the environmental impact of projects related to water resources and coastal engineering.
In addition to the extensive laboratory work done in the Hydraulic Engineering Laboratory, students also receive training in computer applications in Hydraulic Engineering. During the final year, many undergraduates carry out research projects in hydraulic engineering. Field visits are also organized to enhance the student’s exposure to practical problems.
Postgraduate Programs
The postgraduate program in Hydraulic Engineering commenced as far back as 1981, as a collaborative program with the IHE (The Netherlands). After the completion of the period of collaboration with IHE the Department of Civil Engineering continued to offer a series of postgraduate courses covering Water and Environmental Engineering. A large number of professionals, mostly engineers, from a variety of institutions dealing with water resources, have obtained postgraduate qualifications through this program.
At present the postgraduate course focuses on Water Resources Engineering and Management. Lectures are conducted on Fridays and Saturdays. The postgraduate diploma is of one year duration. Candidates who successfully complete the first year may proceed to the Master of Science/Engineering degree by completing out a research project during the second year. One year full-time program was introduced in 2013, for the first time in Sri Lankan university history, in collaboration with the UMCSAWM and SAF-India. The course content has been regularly revised and upgraded to ensure quality and relevance to the country’s needs.
Message from the Head of the Division
The Water Group of the Department of Civil Engineering is extremely proud of its achievements to date, including the introducing of the first postgraduate program in the University of Moratuwa. The establishment of the UNESCO Madanjeet Singh Centre of South Asia Water Management (UMCSAWM) is another milestone in the history line.
The biggest strength of the Water Group is its well-versed staff equally qualified with academic credentials and field expertise covering vast arena of water and related fields including surface and groundwater hydrology, hydraulics, irrigation, water resources management, coastal and engineering and estuarine modelling, water related GIS and remote sensing applications, and hydrodynamic modelling and applications, etc.
The staff is involved in teaching and pioneering research in water resources management, irrigation practices, coastal wave dynamics and various other themes of timely importance, and industry based research and applications while serving in various departmental, faculty and university committees and various other for a of national and international recognition.
The fully equipped hydraulic engineering laboratory has the apparatus and computer facilities required for studying hydraulic engineering problems of practical interest. These include, channel flow simulators and hydraulic flumes, pipe friction and hydraulic machinery, hydraulic benches for multiple test platforms, etc. Computer aided exercises are also carried out for the students to acquaint themselves with the use of computer packages used in the industry.
The newest additions to the group’s strengths are the UNESCO Water Centre and the international postgraduate program conducted by the Department of Civil Engineering in collaboration with the South Asia Foundation (SAF-India).
With all these facilities, strengths and expertise available, the Water Group is even more determined to serve the Department, University, nation and the region in the years to come.
Mr. A.H.R. Ratnasooriya
Head, Hydraulic and Water Resources Engineering Division