Ceylon Society of Australia – Meeting for Members and Guests on Sunday 25 February
NOTICE OF GENERAL MEETING
The next General Meeting of the Ceylon Society of Australia for 2024 will take place on Sunday, 25th February 2024 commencing at 6.30 pm at the Main Hall of the Pennant Hills Community Centre on Level 1, Ramsay Road, Pennant Hills, NSW 2120. Ramsay Road is off Yarrara Road and the Community Centre is opposite the Pennant Hills Railway Station. The entrance to the building is from the car park at the back of the building.
The CSA Committee warmly welcomes Members and Guests to the meeting. A donation to defray catering expenses for the Social following on from the talk would be appreciated.
The speaker for the evening will be Engineer Palitha Manchanayake, who will talk on the subject of “Ancient Irrigation Systems of Sri Lanka and Modern Developments”. Palitha has in depth knowledge on both the old and the new, having worked in this area as both an irrigation and construction engineer.
Bio Data
Engineer Palitha Manchanayake had his education at Royal College, Colombo. He entered the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Ceylon, Peradeniya, and graduated with Honours in Civil Engineering in 1972. He then joined the Irrigation Department as an Irrigation Engineer. Palitha served as a construction engineer at the Wahalkadawewa Reservoir Project in Anuradhapura District in restoring the abandoned Tank. In 1976, he got his professional qualifications M.I.C.E (London), C.Eng. In 1981 Palitha obtained his M.Eng.Sc. Degree in Hydrology from the University of New South Wales, Australia.
From 1983 to 1987, Palitha served as Assistant Director at the Water Management Secretariat of the Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka, and was a Visiting Lecturer in Hydrology at the University of Moratuwa from 1981 to 1987. He served as a Consultant and Unit Author in Hydrology and Irrigation Engineering at the Open University, Nawala. Also, Palitha worked as a National Consultant in Water and Environmental Engineering for the ILO / UNDP from 1985 to 1987 in the formation and the setting up of the Technical Training Institute (TTI) at Katunayake.
He won the Ceylon Development Engineering (CDE) Award for the Best Paper published in ‘Engineer’, the Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka, during 1984-85. He is a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers (F.I.E), Sri Lanka.
After migrating to Australia in 1987, he served as a Hydrologist at the Flood Forecasting Centre of the Commonwealth Bureau of Meteorology, Sydney, until retirement.
Synopsis of Talk
With Prince Vijaya’s arrival at Thammenna Beach on the North-West of Sri Lanka, and the subsequent establishment of his kingdom in that area, the earliest irrigation work had centred around the Malwathu Oya Basin. As the Malwathu Oya flows past the City of Anuradhapura, most of the ancient kings opted to retain the Kingdom at Anuradhapura, and a lot of reservoir development took place in and around the area from about 500 BC to 700 AD. From there onwards, it got shifted to Polonnaruwa and continued until about 1200 AD.
The development of Biso Kotuwa (Sluice Tower) and the Keta Sorowwa took place around 400-300 BC, and they are considered as engineering marvels invented by the Sri Lankans at that time. The world famous Kalawewa Yodha Ela constructed by King Dhathusena during 459-477 AD and its intricacies would be elaborated on.
The demolition of irrigation reservoirs and village tanks in Uva-Wellassa during the 1818 Kandyan Rebellion and their recent restorations will be discussed. The safety issues involved with the Parakrama Samudra Dam during the 1978 Flood Event would be revealed. The Mahaweli System of Reservoirs and its complex management will be discussed. It covers the operation of 28 reservoirs in all where the Mahaweli waters run. A major portion of it is for irrigation and the rest is for hydro-power development. The Kelani Ganga System, which is essentially used for hydro-power generation, is also incorporated into this operation.
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The meeting will conclude with the usual social following the talk and a brief question time. Short-eats and tea/coffee/soft drinks will be served to all attendees.
Presenji Jayawickrema
Hony. Secretary, CSA
24th January 2024
