Infrastructure and Facilities

Lecture Rooms

The University of Moratuwa has newly built a magnificent four-storied building adjacent to the Civil Engineering Complex, with assistance from the generous personal contributions from the South Asia Foundation (SAF) Founder and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Late Shri Madanjeet Singh, to host the UMCSAWM Centre. In addition to the teaching facilities and common spaces presently available at the Department of Civil Engineering, this new Centre building provides dedicated space for all UMCSAWM staff and students with the Main Lecture Theatre and two lecture rooms, an Advanced Computer Laboratory, a Conference/Board Room, areas for research and self-study, space for individual/group work, library space, administrative space, staff and student rooms, and other common areas.

Outdoor experimental areas are also available to demonstrate practical applications in three distinct water specialties, namely, Irrigation, Urban Storm Water Drainage, and Riverine and Estuary Ecosystems. These facilities will ensure extensive exposure and hands-on research experiences at an advanced level of application to the participants of all UMCSAWM programmes.

Computational Laboratories

UMCSAWM has extensive research activities in the arenas of Hydrologic and Hydraulic Modeling, System Dynamics based Management and Operational approaches and Designs of modern, high precision, real- and near-real-time measurement and prediction systems design, GIS-based spatial analyses, Global/regional climate change scenario analyses, etc., with the use of high-end computing systems. Both full-time and part-time students and industry participants joining short-term courses/ workshops organized by UMCSAWM use such large-scale systems to simulate natural and man-made systems, leading to enhanced understanding and solutions to problems ranging from, for instance, local flood issues to global/regional climate change scenario modeling, targeting sustainable, integrated water resources management options. Students are also exposed to the use of state-of-the-art analysis and design software packages such as WaterCAD, CulvertMaster, MIKE11/21, HecRAS, SWMM5, Extend Sim for Modelling, Civil 3D, ArcGIS, etc.

Experimental Laboratories

The Hydraulic Engineering Laboratory attached to the Department of Civil Engineering is available for conducting experimental research and teaching. The laboratory is equipped with an Open Channel flow Tilting Flume 8 m long, 0.30 m wide and 0.40 m deep, Circular Orifice Apparatus, Pelton Wheel Turbine, Centrifugal Water Pump, , Pump/Turbine Apparatus, Flow Measuring Apparatus, Pipe Friction Apparatus, Hydrostatic Pressure Apparatus, Pontoon Apparatus, Forced Vortex Apparatus, Infiltrometer, Hydraulic Ram Pumps, Groundwater Flow Analysis equipment, Fluid Properties and Hydrostatic Bench, and other states of the art apparatus for demonstrative studies.

Further, a number of apparatus are available for specialized topics such as hydraulic transients in conduit flow, surge tanks, precipitation and overland flow, flow through porous media, a scaled irrigation model, etc.

In addition, the instrumentation is available for field studies (velocity measurements in streams, ultrasound flow measurement for conduits, dye concentration measurements, and pumping tests).

Field Experimental Stations

The UMCSAWM Centre focuses on pioneering research in the areas of water management and water resources engineering with specific relevance to South Asian countries. The Centre accommodates full-time international students from SAARC countries, while part-time research scholar positions are also available to local students, both fresh graduates and experienced industry practitioners with an engineering background.

Further to the laboratory facilities available in the Department of Civil Engineering, an outdoor experimental area is available to conduct research as well as to demonstrate practical applications in three distinct water specialties, namely, Irrigation, Urban Storm Water Drainage, and Riverine and Estuary Ecosystems. An automated weather station, capable of measurement of prevailing climatic conditions and real-time uploading to the web through satellite transmission networks, is set up at the Centre premises. These facilities will ensure extensive exposure and hands-on research experiences at an advanced level of application to the participants of all UMCSAWM programmes.