The UMCSAWM project has made significant strides in its journey towards Education for Sustainable Development of Water Resources. It all began in 2003 when the postgraduate degree program was presented to the South Asia Foundation (Sri Lanka Chapter). After extensive evaluations and justifications, the project received approval and was officially commissioned in 2010 through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the University of Moratuwa and the South Asia Foundation (SAF).

The proposal, presented to the late Honourable Lakshman Kadirgamar, Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister and the chair of SAF Sri Lanka, resonated strongly with the value of regional cooperation. This was made possible through the dedicated efforts of the former director, Prof. Sohan Wijesekera, under the guidance of the then Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dayantha Wijayasekera, and Dean, Professor Malik Ranasinghe.

The endorsement of SAF Sri Lanka and the University of Moratuwa not only led to the acceptance of the proposal but also to funding support. The South Asia Foundation generously provided finances for seven intakes (and continuing), and the late Shri Madanjeet Singh, the Chair of the South Asia Foundation at that time, personally contributed substantial funding for the establishment of the UMCSAWM center.