UMCSAWM - University of Moratuwa (Ongoing Activities) under Research/Education

1. POSTGRADUATE EDUCATION AND RESEARCH FOR SUSTAINABLE WATER RESOURCES
MANAGEMENT TARGETING PRACTITIONERS
UNESCO-MADANJEET SINGH CENTRE FOR SOUTH ASIA
WATER MANAGEMENT (UMCSAWM)
UNIVERSITY OF MORATUWA
ONGOING ACTIVITIES / RESEARCH IN
WATER-SECTOR EDUCATION IN SRI LANKA
PROFESSOR R. L. H. L. RAJAPAKSE
DIRECTOR/UMCSAWM-UOM-SL
University of Moratuwa
10th September 2021
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The University of Moratuwa presently caters a total undergraduate population of approximately 7,000 students
and about 1,200 postgraduate students and prides itself in having an excellent Engineering Faculty and being
the only University in Sri Lanka to have Faculties of Architecture and Information Technology.
UNESCO Madanjeet Singh Centre
for South Asia Water Management
(UMCSAWM) is located in the
premises of University of Moratuwa
- Sri Lanka, in the backdrop of a
vast expanse of shimmering waters
of the picturesque Bolgoda Lake
UNESCO
Water Centre
Department of
Civil Engineering

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UNESCO Madanjeet Singh Centre for South
Asia Water Management (UMCSAWM),
University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
❖ Established in April 2013 attached to the
Department of Civil Engineering,
University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
❖ The newest member to join the
UNESCO Madanjeet Singh Institutions
of Excellence supported by SAF-India
❖ A landmark in the Sri Lankan university
history as the first international centre
established to conduct fulltime
postgraduate degree programmes.

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Postgraduate Education
and Research for
Sustainable Water
Resources Management
targeting Practitioners/
Practicing Engineers

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Teaching, Learning and Research Facilities
In-class activities, Field Visits and On-Site Training

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M. Sc. / PG Diploma in Water Resources Engineering and Management
Industry Oriented
CAPACITY BUILDING
Cutting Edge TECHNOLOGY &
KNOWLEDGE DISSEMINATION
Pioneering in
RESEARCH
Postgraduate Education and Research for
Sustainable Water Resources Management
targeting Practitioners
The two year M. Sc. (full-time) program has been
designed to cater for the demand from professional
engineers to advance their technical knowhow after
gaining adequate experience in the field of engineering
while getting exposed to the emerging advanced
knowledge dimensions across a wide swathe of domains.
M. Sc. (Full-time): 2 Years
M. Sc. (Part-time): 2 Years
PG Dip (Part-time): 1 Year
The total credit
requirement is 60 for
the program (for both
fulltime and part-time
courses), which is
comparable with any
other 2 year M.Sc.
program.
SAF-Madanjeet Scholarships for full-timers

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• Compulsory modules (28 Credits)
- Advanced Engineering Hydrology
and Watershed Management
- Advanced Irrigation Water
Management for Food and Water
Security
- Advanced River Engineering and
Estuary Hydraulics
- Integrated Water Resources
Management
- Remote Sensing and Geographic
Information Systems (GIS) for
Planning and Management
- Research Methods for Water
Resources Engineering Planning and
Management
- Water Resources Project Planning &
Management
- Water Supply and Sanitation
Systems and Water Quality
Management
• Research Project (20 Credits)
- Supervised Research Project (for
M.Sc. only) relevant to the course for
Master of Science Degree
• Elective modules (12 Credits)
- Advanced Coastal Engineering and
Estuary Management
- Advanced GIS for Water Resources
Management
- Advanced Remote Sensing and Global
Positioning Systems
- Advanced Water Supply and Sanitation
Systems for Engineering Applications
- Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation
Options for Water Management
- Disaster Risk Assessment, Reduction
and Mitigation
- Environmental Assessment of Water and
Related Infrastructure Development
- Service Delivery Assessment Concepts
for Water Supply and Irrigation Systems
- Water Resources Systems and
Watershed Management for Planning
and Management
The modules offered cover the main areas of;
M. Sc. / PG Diploma in Water Resources Engineering and Management

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Present UMCSAWM Centre Activities, Services, Training, and Research
❖ Teaching and learning methods are aligned to provide an integrated and
interdisciplinary approach.
❖ Programme structure brings together the scientific study of water resources with
practical planning and management skills, encouraging participants to study water
management from a multi-disciplinary perspective and to seek integrated solutions.
❖ Incorporates more practical and field oriented Project Based Learning (PBL)
components in each module and intends to provide the participants a firm grounding
in the principles, techniques, issues and practice of Sustainable Water Resources
Engineering and Management.
Focuses on Transformative Water Education leading to individual and societal
change to support Long-term, Sustainable Development Goals
Addresses all dimensions of sustainable development (Society, Economy,
Environment) in an integrated way
Innovative research and conducive learning environment to achieve long-term
sustainability in Water Resources Engineering and Management
❖ To date, 46 full-time SAARC (The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation)
scholars/ regional/international students and 71 local students have been enrolled
in the Water Resources Engineering and Management programme.

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Teaching, Learning and Research Facilities
Conducive and Interactive Learning Environment
Conferences – Workshops – Training Programs
Outdoor Research Facility for Irrigation/Urban Drainage/Soil Moisture Studies/AWS

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Present UMCSAWM Centre Activities, Services, Training, and Research
❖ Over and above the regular activities, The Centre has organized 3 international workshops, and UMCSAWM Water
Conference 2017, benefitting course participants as well as a large crowd of civil engineering practitioners and others
in the water sector. The Centre is also engaged in pioneering research in areas of relevance to South Asian countries
(presently only through student projects).
❖ The Capacity building of UMCSAWM project consist of Postgraduate Education and Short-term capacity building
through lectures, experiments, hands-on exercises, seminars, workshops, field visits and research.
❖ The international workshops were organized with the active collaboration of United States Geological Survey (USGS),
Hokkaido University-Japan, WS Atkins (United Kingdom), Civil Geo (USA) and DHI (US/India), with the participation of
60~100 attendees. UMCSAWM Water Conference 2017 held in January 2017 in line with SAF-UoM Meetings held
during SAF Governing Council Meeting was attended by a scientific and engineering crowd of over 120.
❖ The sustainable water resources management is the key area of dissemination covering integrated water resources
management, watershed management, irrigation, climate change, disaster management, management of rivers and
estuaries. In research and in each of the subject modules, the students are empowered to contribute to sustainable
water resources development through the problem-based learning projects. Over the period from 2013~2021, students
have produced over 72 full-time/part-time research theses and over 1,260 Problem Based Learning (PBL) reports
which were conducted basically following field identified issues and focusing on industry-oriented projects.
❖ Based on UMCSAWM’s involvement in water related matters and water education since 2013, Sri Lanka National
Commission for UNESCO has nominated Centre to act as the Focal Point of Sri Lanka to the International Hydrological
Program (IHP) and other water related matters of UNESCO.

11. THE UMCSAWM / HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING DIVISION
Postgraduate
Programs by
the Hydraulic
and Water
Resources
Engineering
Division – Five
(06) MSc
Programs and 8
Workshops/
Short courses
from
2013~2021
Postgraduate Programme from 2013 onwards

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Looking forward to Institutional Collaborations and
Collaborative Research in Major Thrust Areas related to
Climate Change Impacts, Hydrology, Water Engineering and
Water Resources Management.

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