SANDUN GALAPPATHTHI
Associate Engineer - Water Resources
Summary
Results-driven civil engineer with extensive experience in water resource management, project management, and hydrological modeling. Possesses excellent technical skills in software and engineering design, as well as a deep understanding of engineering codes and standards. Has successfully delivered high-profile projects and collaborated with international organizations such as the World Bank and Asian Development Bank. Demonstrates strong leadership and communication skills, with a proven ability to manage teams and exceed client expectations.
Overview
15
15
years of professional experience
Work History
Deputy Director
Mahaweli Authority Of Sri Lanka
Colombo, Sri Lanka
01.2018 - 11.2022
- The Water Management Secretariat (WMS) of the Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka has been managing and maintaining the multipurpose reservoirs in the country's largest river basins since 1980s. The WMS coordinates between multiple departments and conducts operational simulations and predictions using water system simulation models to support decision-making for optimal water allocation. The Water Management Panel Meeting, which occurs at the beginning of each season, aims to ensure sustainable use and management of water resources for the benefit of all stakeholders, and to review and approve the Seasonal Operation Plan (SOP) prepared and presented by the WMS
- Sandun, as the Deputy Director, was responsible for presenting the seasonal summary presentation and the seasonal operational plan between 2018 and 2022 in the absence of the Director of Water Management. This involved providing a detailed overview of the previous season's water management activities, presenting a comprehensive plan for the upcoming season, and addressing any concerns or questions from stakeholders. Sandun strived to ensure that water resources were managed effectively and efficiently to meet the needs of all stakeholders while maintaining unbiased conduct as a true professional. Sandun's excellent presentation skills and ability to handle stakeholders in tense situations contributed to the success of the WMS during his tenure.
Civil Engineer, Project Manager
Mahaweli Authority Of Sri Lanka
Colombo, Canada
01.2016 - 01.2017
- The new water management system implemented at the Mahaweli Authority for Sri Lanka (MASL) provides an integrated environment for water management planning and scheduling. The system increases data automation and storage capabilities, and improves accuracy in projecting water supply through well-calibrated hydrologic models. Planning models are based on optimization approaches that consider operational rules and constraints while meeting energy requirements at the least cost. Future work involves completing calibration of the inflow forecasting module to all watersheds and expanding data integration activities for the latest hydrologic and operational information. The World Bank financed the project, and Sandun and his team at MASL collaborated and participated in system implementation, calibration and validation process. The new water management system has improved the efficiency and effectiveness of water management at MASL.
Civil Engineer, Project Manager
Mahaweli Authority Of Sri Lanka
Colombo, Sri Lanka
01.2018 - 01.2019
- The Mahaweli Water Security Investment Program was established to divert water from Sri Lanka's largest river to the arid zone, encompassing the North Central, Central, North Western, and Eastern Provinces. The project entailed constructing more than 260 kilometers of new and upgraded canals, reservoirs, and other irrigation infrastructure, providing more irrigation water and clean drinking water to over 350,000 individuals. To determine the optimal route, a route selection model was developed using Riverware software, a rule-based simulation software that integrated existing and proposed structures, natural conditions, and relevant time-series data. The project was funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and Sandun acted as the client representative, overseeing the overall project, including calibration and verification with legacy data. In 2018, Sandun received extensive training on Riverware software from CADESWES (Center for Advanced Decision Support for Water and Environmental Systems) in Boulder, Colorado, USA, which contributed to the project's success.
Civil Engineer, Project Engineer
Mahaweli Authority Of Sri Lanka
Colombo, Germany, Sri Lanka
01.2018 - 01.2018
- The Dam Safety and Water Resources Planning Project (DSWRPP) was a project implemented by the Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources Management (MIWRM) with funding from the World Bank. One of the project's components was the modernization and improvement of the hydro-meteorological network managed by the MIWRM. The network included 122 stations, with 88 managed by the Hydrology Division of the Irrigation Department and 34 managed by the Mahaweli Authority. The stations have been installed with modern instruments to collect data on water and hydrology, including water levels, discharges, rainfall, wind velocity, radiation, humidity, humidity and temperature. The collected data, to be transmitted automatically through two channels: the Meteo-sat weather satellite and GPRS technology.
- Sandun and his team oversaw various duties related to the establishment and maintenance of the hydro-meteorological network. This included collaborating with the contractor's staff during the initial site survey to ensure compliance with WMO standards, reviewing the design packages to ensure requirements were met, overseeing accurate and proper installation of instruments, calibrating the instruments for accurate data collection, carrying out acceptance tests, preprocessing data to ensure its quality, and operating the data center to manage and maintain the database and ensure necessary data was available for appropriate users.
Civil Engineer, Project Manager
Mahaweli Authority Of Sri Lanka
Colombo, Sri Lanka
01.2017 - 01.2018
- Due to limitations in funding and time, some of the sub-tools within Vista were not properly configured, including the critical Inflow Vista, which is responsible for predicting inflow for the upcoming season. As inflow prediction is a key input for the model, the Water Management Secretariat (WMS) had to find a reliable alternative. Fortunately, Sandun had completed a short course on SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) modeling at the University of IHE in the Netherlands and was able to apply this knowledge to resolve the issue. Sandun established 14 watersheds using SWAT and directed his junior engineers in creating HRUs and other related datasets, while also training them throughout the process. They verified the model's output against observed data and optimized it further using SWAT Cup.
Civil Engineer, Project Manager
Mahaweli Authority Of Sri Lanka
Colombo, Germany
01.2013 - 01.2016
- The Dam Safety and Water Resources Planning Project (DSWRPP) was a project implemented by the Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources Management (MIWRM) with funding from the World Bank. One of the project's components was the modernization and improvement of the hydro-meteorological network managed by the MIWRM. The network included 122 stations, with 88 managed by the Hydrology Division of the Irrigation Department and 34 managed by the Mahaweli Authority. The stations have been installed with modern instruments to collect data on water and hydrology, including water levels, discharges, rainfall, wind velocity, radiation, humidity, humidity and temperature. The collected data, to be transmitted automatically through two channels: the Meteo-sat weather satellite and GPRS technology.
- Sandun and his team oversaw various duties related to the establishment and maintenance of the hydro-meteorological network. This included collaborating with the contractor's staff during the initial site survey to ensure compliance with WMO standards, reviewing the design packages to ensure requirements were met, overseeing accurate and proper installation of instruments, calibrating the instruments for accurate data collection, carrying out acceptance tests, preprocessing data to ensure its quality, and operating the data center to manage and maintain the database and ensure necessary data was available for appropriate users.
Civil Engineer, Project Engineer
Mahaweli Authority Of Sri Lanka
Colombo, Canada
01.2013 - 01.2014
- The development of a Hydro-Meteorological Information System in Sri Lanka involves the setup and configuration of data acquisition and processing software to facilitate real-time data acquisition and processing, with a wide range of tools and features to support hydrological and water resource professionals. Sandun played a critical role in setting up and configuring the Aquarius software, which includes tools like Springboard (provides a dashboard view of data and allows customization of data sources, charts, and layout), Whiteboard(offers a visual representation of data and allows customization of data sources, map layers, and visualization options.), Field Visit(records and manages field data with customization options for data fields, observation types, and sampling methods.), and Hot Folders (automate data transfer and processing with monitoring and processing actions that can be customized).
- Sandun underwent comprehensive training provided by Aquatic Informatics Inc. at their training facility in Vancouver, Canada, in 2015, and has since successfully contributed to the implementation of the Aquarius software.
Design Engineer
Mahaweli Authority Of Sri Lanka
Colombo, Sri Lanka
01.2013 - 01.2014
- Sandun was tasked with designing structures for the KaluGanga Right Bank Main Canal under the Moragahakanda – Kaluganga Development Project. This project aimed to resettle people displaced by two reservoirs in the Kaluganga right bank and left bank development areas, requiring the construction of 5 level crossings and 11 tanks. To enable water to flow through the area, an aqueduct was designed over Nikawathura oya, with a capacity of 4.022cumec discharge to match that of the right bank canal.
- Sandun carried out the hydrology design, hydraulic design, and structural design, along with necessary calculations, bar schedules, taking off sheets, rate analysis, priced Bill of Quantities (Engineer's Estimate), and drawings for the aqueduct at chainage 1+100 to 1+424 of the main canal using SAP2000, HEC-HMS, HEC-RAS and Auto CAD. Sandun presented this design to the IESL in 2015 and was inducted as a chartered engineer. This alternative proposal replaced the previously designed Level Crossing 01 in the Kaluganga Right Bank, taking into consideration environmental and economic aspects.
Project Engineer
Mahaweli Authority Of Sri Lanka
Welikanda, Sri Lanka
01.2008 - 01.2011
- Sandun has experience in participating in various projects, including the rehabilitation of Field and Distributory canals in Ransarathenna and Namalgama unit of Aselapura Block in System ‘B', Welikanda. Sandun directed his team to take cross-sections and longitudinal sections of canals, issued instructions to Engineering Assistants and Technical Officers, and used the Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) technique to involve farmers and stakeholders in the rehabilitation process. Sandun conducted meetings with farmers and stakeholders to identify problems with the irrigation system and evaluated solutions suggested by farmers during a Transect Walk with canal representatives. He also carried out surveys and data collection, prepared estimates and bills of quantities within the budget allocation, and held ratification meetings with farmer organizations to finalize the estimates. Sandun held progress review meetings with Farmer Organization officials, conducted joint measurements with contractor staff, and certified payments due to Farmer Organizations and contractors. The rehabilitated canals and structures were handed over to the Operation and Maintenance (O & M) staff and respective Farmer Organizations.
Project Engineer
Mahaweli Authority Of Sri Lanka
Welikanda, Sri Lanka
01.2008 - 01.2011
- The irrigation canal network for System-B of the Mahaweli Development Project in Sri Lanka was built in 1985 but was partially abandoned due to terrorism. After 20 years, it was found that the irrigation structures had deteriorated, resulting in significant water wastage. The Mahaweli Consolidation Project (MCP) was therefore launched in 2007 to rehabilitate and develop the infrastructure. MCP aimed to address the irrigation network's rehabilitation and infrastructure development requirements.
- Sandun, as a project engineer, prepared mix designs and supervised the construction process to ensure materials were used according to specifications. Sandun and his team conducted compaction tests, cast and tested concrete cubes to meet required standards, monitored workmanship and resolved technical issues, while ensuring completion within the budget and on time. Sandun also reviewed the contractor's work schedule and provided regular progress reports to project stakeholders.
Education
B.Sc. (Honors) - Civil Engineering
University of Peradeniya
PG. Dip - Water Resources Engineering & Management
University of Moratuwa
Skills
Civil engineering, water resources engineering and management
Familiarity with engineering codes and standards such as BS, ASTM, and AS
Project management
Data acquisition, processing, analysis, visualization, mining, storage, and retrieval
Handling clients under pressure and providing effective technical solutions
Software competency in subject area
Affiliations
Corporate Member of IESL (Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka. Membership No:M-6707), Chartered Engineer Under enrolment process for Professional Engineer (Engineers Australia) Under enrolment process for International Professional Engineer (IESL)
Publications
In 2022, co-authored a paper on E3S Web of Conferences titled "Integrated System for Multi-Usage Reservoir Management in Sri Lanka," which discusses the development and implementation of Vista DSS by the Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka.
Timeline
Deputy Director
Mahaweli Authority Of Sri Lanka
01.2018 - 11.2022
Civil Engineer, Project Manager
Mahaweli Authority Of Sri Lanka
01.2018 - 01.2019
Civil Engineer, Project Engineer
Mahaweli Authority Of Sri Lanka
01.2018 - 01.2018
Civil Engineer, Project Manager
Mahaweli Authority Of Sri Lanka
01.2017 - 01.2018
Civil Engineer, Project Manager
Mahaweli Authority Of Sri Lanka
01.2016 - 01.2017
Civil Engineer, Project Manager
Mahaweli Authority Of Sri Lanka
01.2013 - 01.2016
Civil Engineer, Project Engineer
Mahaweli Authority Of Sri Lanka
01.2013 - 01.2014
Design Engineer
Mahaweli Authority Of Sri Lanka
01.2013 - 01.2014
Project Engineer
Mahaweli Authority Of Sri Lanka
01.2008 - 01.2011
Project Engineer
Mahaweli Authority Of Sri Lanka
01.2008 - 01.2011
B.Sc. (Honors) - Civil Engineering
University of Peradeniya
PG. Dip - Water Resources Engineering & Management
University of Moratuwa