The Newspaper of The Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka Vol. 47, No 01, January 2012

Registered at the GPO as a Newspaper No. QD/55 /NEWS/2012

ENGINEERING NEWSSRI LANKA

Established 1906

In this Issue

The Institution of EngineersSri Lanka

120/15, Wijerama Mawatha,Colombo 7, Sri Lanka.

Tel: 2685490, 2698426, 2699210

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E.mail: ed@sltnet.lk / iesl@slt.lk

Website: http://www.iesl.lk

Letters to the

Editor................................... 4

Editorial............................... 4

Puzzle of the...................... 5

month

Highway Drivingby Eng Sarath Chandrasiri

Some of the points below may help not only inhighway driving but also in normal driving.

The merging maneuver: One of the most misunderstoodmaneuvers that you have to execute when you first start drivingin other countries is the merging maneuver. This particularmaneuver has to be executed when you want to enter ahighway from an entry point. Here you will find the entry lanerunning parallel with the highway for quite a long distanceallowing enough time for executing the merge.

It is a point where those who are on the rightmost lane (in SLthe leftmost) of the highway have to cooperate with thosewho are about to enter it. Here both categories are consideredto have equal right of way. The one who enters the highwayhas to match speed with those on the highway lane andsmoothly maneuver him/herself in to a gap between thevehicles. As the two streams of vehicles merge, it resemblesa closing action of a zip.

Those who are on the highway lane have to cooperate byleaving a gap for the incoming vehicle to get in to and perhapsspeed up or slow down to match speeds so that the wholemanoeuvre may be executed safely. Any purposefulobstruction of the incoming vehicle as frequently happens inSL could lead to disaster in a highway.

The Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka commemorated the 101st birth anniversary ofLate Engineer B.D.Rampala with a memorial lecture at the Wimalasurendra Auditoriumof the institution on Tuesday, 20th Dec 2011 The lighting of the Oil Lamp and garlanding

of the photograph of the late engineer by the President of IESL, Eng, (Dr.) Ananda Ranasinghepreceded the lecture which was delivered by Eng. (Prof.) Amal Kumarage, Senior Professorof Civil Engineering, Department of Transport & Logistics Management, University of Moratuwa.The theme of the lecture was ‘An Engineering Perspective of the Past, Present and Future ofRailways’. Family members of late Eng. B.D.Rampala, General Manager, Sri Lanka Railways,Mr. B.A P Ariyaratne, past General Manager, Eng. Priyal De Silva, staff and students ofuniversities, members of IESL and others connected to the profession were among the wellattended audience.

Eng. B.D. Rampala MemorialLecture

The Safety cocoon: It isalways useful to imagine asafety cocoon around thevehicle you drive and try toavoid any vehicles enteringthis cocoon. The cocoondoes not spread much on theright and left but could bequite extensive in the forwardand backward directions.The size of the cocoon varieswith your speed as well asother road conditions andvehicle condition. In highwaydriving, the cocoon sizewould be quite large. Anexperienced driverinstinctively decides thecocoon size depending onthese factors.

If the vehicle in front intrudesin to your safety cocoon youshould slow downimmediately. This has twoeffects. Firstly, the relativespeed of separation betweenthe two vehicles will increase.Secondly, the cocoon size

Contd. on page 9....

Prof. Kumarage, in hislecture, described the lateengineer as the heart ofRailways in Sri Lanka andwhose influence is alive tothis day in the manyimprovements that he hadbrought during his reign asGeneral Manager of SriLanka Railways, in whatwas fondly remembered asthe golden era of Sri LankaRailways. Immenseintegrity, professionalcompetence and an almostreckless abandonment of

caution to innovate wereamong the attributes thatdefined the great man hedeclared. Explaining thedecline of the Sri LankaRailways after Eng. B.DRampala handed over thereins, Prof. Kumarageattributed the denial of dueplace to engineers in theadministration and

restriction of engineers tomundane responsibilities asamong reasons for it. He citedas testimony to it, the fact thatEng. B.D.Rampala had feltlike a stranger on his returnto the Sri Lanka Railways asa consultant and that he haddecided to quit that post soonafter.

Mr. R. W. R. Pemasiriappointed Secretary,Ministry of Ports and

Highways

continued to serve in thesame position under the RDAuntil 1989. With theestablishment of ProvincialCouncils, he was appointedas the Director of Highwaysin the Provincial Departmentof Highways in SouthernProvince in 1990 and later hewas appointed as the GeneralManager of the SouthernProvincial Road DevelopmentAuthority and served in thatposition till February 2005.

In March 2005 Mr. Pemasiriwas appointed as the GeneralManager of the RDA and laterhis position was upgraded asthe Director General, RDA.

Mr. R. W. R. Pemasiriwas appointed as theSecretary, Ministry

of Ports and Highways witheffect from 8th December2011. Prior to thisappointment he served as theDirector General of the RoadDevelopment Authority (RDA)and in addition, was servingas the Acting Chairman of theRDA.

Mr. Pemasiri is a graduate ofthe University of Peradeniyawith a B.Sc. Hons Degree inCivil Engineering. He hasalso obtained M.Eng inConstruction Managementfrom the University ofMoratuwa. He is a memberof the Institution of Engineers,

Contd. on page 3...

Sri Lanka. He obtained L.L.M.from Robert GordonUniversity of Scotland andalso a member of the ChartedInstitute of Arbitrators, UK.He also obtained a diplomain Arbitration from ICLP SriLanka.

In 1981 Mr. Pemasiri joinedthe then Department ofHighways, Sri Lanka as anExecutive Engineer and

Article forwarded by Eng. (Brig.) K D A Perera

Sri Lanka Engineering News - January 2012IESL NEWS2

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ANNUAL EVENTSCALENDAR - 2011 / 2012

Event Dates

♦Dr. Ray Wijeyewardene Memorial Tuesday – December 13, 2011 Lecture♦♦♦♦♦Eng. B D Rampala Memorial Lecture Tuesday - December 20, 2011

♦♦♦♦♦R H Paul Memorial Lecture Thursday – February 09, 2012

♦♦♦♦♦Induction and Graduation Ceremony Friday – August 17, 2012

♦♦♦♦♦E O E Pereira Memorial Lecture Thursday – September 13, 2012

♦♦♦♦♦D J Wimalasurendra Monday – September 17, 2012 Memorial Lecture♦♦♦♦♦Techno Exhibition Friday – Sunday October 5-7,

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♦♦♦♦♦Annual Sessions Seminar Saturday – October 20, 2012

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♦♦♦♦♦Presentation of Technical papers Monday-WednesdayOctober 22, 23 & 24, 2012

♦♦♦♦♦Presentation of Technical Papers Thursday - October 25, 2012 by Young Members

♦♦♦♦♦Dr. A N S Kulasinghe Thursday – October 25, 2012 Memorial Lecture♦♦♦♦♦Techno Awards Ceremony Wednesday – October 24, 2012♦♦♦♦♦Annual General Meeting Saturday – October 27, 2012

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Sri Lanka Engineering News - January 2012IESL NEWS 3

NOTICE TO ALL WOMEN ENGINEERS

PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU ARE AUTOMATICALLY AMEMBER OF WOMEN ENGINEERS FORUM IF YOU

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Please Participate in WEF Activities

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The Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka

Call for Papers for the

Annual Sessions 2012Call for PapersThe Institution is pleased to call for technical papers to be presented at the AnnualSessions to be held in October 2012, which will provide a forum for engineers to sharetheir experiences and is aimed at general advancement of science and practice ofengineering in all disciplines.

The paper should generally be of value and interest to Engineers and contribute in theadvancement of the Profession of Engineering. It must be based on review of past practice,information of current interest, or probing into new fields of engineering activity. It shouldbe a presentation of thought provoking study contributing to planning, analysis, design,construction/ fabrication/production, management or maintenance of Engineeringdevelopments. In this context, practical papers are strongly encouraged. Whereverpossible, theoretical papers should include a section on practical application or additionalresearch areas to be pursued for effective technology transfer.

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All papers will be refereed by at least two subject specialists. The decision of the EditorialBoard on the acceptance of the Paper for publication shall be final.

It is mandatory for the authors of all accepted papers to present them at the AnnualSessions of the Institution, held in the month of October 2012.

Schedule of Key DatesLast date for receipt of abstracts - 15th March 2012Notification of acceptance - 31st March 2012Last date of submission of full paper - 30th April 2012Proposed dates for annual sessions - 22nd to 24th October 2012

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Why not obtainInternational

Recognition through theProfessional Engineer

qualification?What is International ProfessionalEngineer qualification?

International Professional Engineer (IntPE) is aqualification awarded by the Engineers’ MobilityForum (EMF), coming under the InternationalEngineering Alliance (IEA).

EMF facil itates cross-border practice byexperienced professional engineers. In general, aProfessional Engineer of one EMF memberjurisdiction will be able to practice in another EMFmember jurisdiction without being required to obtainany additional qualifications or experience. Thecurrent EMF signatory countries are Australia,Canada, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia,New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, SouthKorea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, United Kingdom and UnitedStates.

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The IESL, being a full member of the EMF isempowered to award the IntPE (Sri Lanka)qualification to Chartered Engineers who are SriLankan national and who meet the followingrequirements:

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Chartered Engineers who do not possess a fouryear full time degree in engineering are presentlynot considered for the IntPE qualification.

What are the benefits?Those who become Professional Engineersthrough IESL will have the following benefits:

1.Use of the letters IntPE (Sri Lanka) after his/her name2.Easier admission to National Registers of IntPE Registers of other member jurisdictions

How to apply?

Application forms and guidelines could bedownloaded by clicking ‘World Recognition’ onthe home page of IESL website at www.iesl.lk

From November 2009 to date he was also serving as the ActingChairman, RDA.

During his long service in the road sector, Mr. Pemasiri hascontributed at many national and international seminars andworkshops and also has undergone specialized training in thesubject areas such as project implementation, procurementmanagement and road construction and management. He wasalso the Project Director of successfully completed two majorprovincial road projects, funded by the ADB and implementedunder the Ministry of Provincial Councils and Local Government.

During his service as the Director General and the ActingChairman of the RDA, he was responsible for the development,maintenance and management of the national road networktotaling 12,020 km and for overall administration of the RDA.It needs to be noted that the achievements made by the RDAin the development and maintenance of national road networkduring his tenure are remarkable.

Contd. from page 1.... Mr. R. W. R. Pemasiri

Sri Lanka Engineering News - January 2012IESL NEWS4

Sri LankaEngineering News

Lakshitha Weerasinghe, Editorlakshitha@ieee.org

Letters to the EditorSLEN Oct. – Nov. Editorial - The other

side(s) of the coinby Eng. M. K. Chandrasekera

Having read the above Editorial, I felt that the Editor had made use of his position tomake comments on areas that he is not properly qualified to talk.

In the middle of his writing he has put in a paragraph about the reservoirs, water ways andthe methods of irrigation. He then abruptly jumps into conclusion about an Irrigation Projectcalled “multi billion rupee NCP Canal Project”.

As far as I am aware, the Editor is an Electrical Engineer working in the CEB. If an Engineerworking in the Irrigation Department or Mahaweli Authority wrote about the sensibility ofbuilding the Norochcholai Coal Power Plant in preference to an ocean thermal Power Plantor a Dendro Power Plant, I am sure he would have got offended and questioned the qualification/competence of that Engineer to give opinions about the unknown subjects.

In good old days when the disciplines were not so divided as of now, an Engineer wassupposed to be competent to give advice on any branch of Engineering. Today it is not so.Within the broad umbrellas of Civil, Mechanical or Electrical Engineering there are many subroutes of specialization.

Accordingly, being a responsible professional and being the Editor, he had better restrainedhimself from passing judgments on things of which he had not acquired a proper knowledge.

Functions of Bisokotuwaby Eng Sarath Chandrasiri

With reference to Eng Kapila Peiri’s comments on Bisokotuwas, appearing in theDecember 2011 of SLEN, I have to make the following comments, which I amkeeping very brief at the request of the Editor.

Leaving aside minor matters such as shear forces in water (about which I was wrong),expansion and compression of water (about which I still think that I was right), there is onlyone major issue remaining.

If the theory is that the Bisokotuwa functions only due to frictional/viscous forces of water,then we can verify its validity by applying the methodology that I applied in the case of theSlinky Problem, namely subjecting the theory to special cases. In this case we can considera zero viscosity super fluid such as liquid Helium instead of water.

What would happen if Parakrama Samudra is filled with liquid Helium? Would the Bisokotuwaloose its effectiveness? I think not. It would still function in reducing the rate of change ofhydraulic pressure in the downstream outlet.

The analogous special case in my electrical circuit is having superconductors (zero resistance).My smoothing circuit would still be highly effective in reducing dV/dt at the load. The onlydifference is that there is no damping and the changes would continue, theoretically, forever.The circuit presented shows that the system is basically an energy exchange system.

Similarly, the pressure peaks in the reservoir-bisokotuwa system filled with liquid Heliumwould continue forever. But the rates of change will be reduced because of the capacitor.I accept that friction due to viscosity also plays a part by damping the variations so thatsteady state is reached rapidly.

Mission CriticalSystems

The statement that a “Flap of a butterfly’s wingsin Mexico could set off a Hurricane in Texas”is often quoted in books written on the

“ChaosTheory”. The flapping of the wingcharacterizes a tiny alteration to a system, whichcan trigger off a massive chain of events as timegoes on. According to the Chaos Theory, a smallchange in one place could result in a large changeelsewhere, may be with a time delay.

I reproduce below one version among many ofanother well-known parable on chaos titled “For wantof a nail a, kingdom was lost”

For want of a nail a horseshoe is lost.For want of a horseshoe a horse is lost.

For want of a horse a rider is lost.For want of a rider a King is lost.For want of a King a battle is lost.

For want of a battle a kingdom is lost.

The Chaos Theory came in to my mind during avery interesting post lunch discussion I had with asenior Additional General Manager (AGM) of CeylonElectricity Board (CEB), to whom I was always fondof listening, for his far reaching visionary thinking.As he will be saying adieu to his illustrious carrier atthe CEB in a few weeks time, I thought of dedicatingthis editorial to him.

He was giving me some hints for preparing theCorporate “Balanced Score Card”, a strategymanagement tool, the CEB was to adopt. He drewmy attention to what he called “mission criticalsystems”or weak links, ^u¾uia:dk& which if lost,could knock down an entire system. He was citingcertain seemingly insignificant components of theCEB’s generating system, the failure of some ofwhich could lead to the failure of larger apparatuseven leading to the failure of a larger sub system,having the potential of affecting a large extent ofcultivable land of the country due to its strategicsignificance.

For obvious reasons, I would not mention here thedetails. However, my intention here is to bring to theattention of all engineers, the importance ofidentifying such mission critical systems within yourindividual purviews for the purpose of mitigatingpossible nation wide adverse impacts.

Eng Gamunu Abayasekara, this editorial is my tributeto you on the eve of your departure from the stateservice.

Editor’s comment:

I deny the allegation made by Eng. Chandrasekera that I had made use of my position as

the Editor to comment on areas in which I am not qualified to do so.

Contrary to what he has expressed , I will definitely not get offended if an engineer working

either in the Irrigation Department or the Mahaweli Authority questioned the sensibility of

establishing the Norochcholai Coal Power Plant in preference to an Ocean Thermal Power

Plant or a Dendro Power Plant. In fact I will certainly welcome such a move as I always

believe in the fact that only from outside that one can see the “other side(s) of the coin”. You

do not have to be an expert on a system to notice salient features of that system provided

you have a basic knowledge of the system.

While thanking Eng. Chandrasekera for coming forward to make those comments, and giving

due respect for those comments , I wish to state here that the message I wanted to convey

to the readers through that Editorial of mine was the need to look at a problem from different

angles and using our creative skills to bring in a final product that will have long term

benefits to the mankind. SLEN will continue to be open for discussions on any such project by our members, irrespective

of their disciplines, provided they adhere to the accepted norms of publication.

Sri Lanka Engineering News - January 2012IESL NEWS 5

Puzzle - 46

Solution for Puzzle No. 41

Correct answer must be sent by email to cebos@ceb.lk with copies topuzzleguru.lk@gmail.com. Please indicate your name, membership num-ber and date of birth along with the answer. Also indicate the puzzle num-ber in the subject line of the email. The winner will be declared in theFebruary 2012 issue of the SLEN along with the correct answer.

A Foolish One46-A: The Easy One

It is said that on hearing a joke, a fool would laugh thee times, with asubstantial time interval between the laughs. Actually, the gap betweenlaughs is a good indication of the degree of stupidity of the individual.

Why three laughs and why the gaps?

(THE NUT PROBLEM AND OTHERS)

Correct solutions were sent by:

A.V.S. Weerasinghe (F 772)M.A.C.A.D. Mataraarachchi (AM-6883) : 1978G.A. L. R. Perera ( AM 10750): 1980G.A.M.I.U. Wijetunga (M-5905)Senajith Dasanayake (M 3294) 1962M.H.A.R. P. Appuhamy ( A/M 10476) 1982

The winner is Eng Priyantha Appuhamy, as the youngest out of the above.

SOLUTION FOR PUZZLE 41

Problem 1: Eng Vernon Weerasinghe says: Although the problem is at the top of the truckwhich has got stuck, the easiest solution lies at the bottom, by letting off some air in all thewheel tyres just sufficient to lower the entire truck so that the truck would get unstuck fromtop and can be driven slowly out of the underpass. Well this same problem is supposed tohave taken place long time back at the Ramboda Pass on the Gampola – Nuwara Eliyaroad, where the vehicles have to go through a very narrow stretch of road with a natural rockcliff overhanging above the road. At this point no two vehicles can cross. Similarly a lorry hasgot stuck in the overhanging rock cliff. While the men were thinking of ways of tackling theproblem with the top of the lorry stuck, a small boy is supposed to have given the easiestsolution by letting off some air from the tyres.

PG’s Comment: We understand that some engineers were among these men. One had hislap top out and was using FEM sotware to work out the force necessary to pull the truck out(Ha! Ha!) - Another example of how simple solutions elude the educated and trained mind.

Problem 2 (THE NUT PROBLEM): There are many versions to the solution. Methodology-wise they are identical. The difference is in the Story and obviously, the story makes all thedifference . This is an interesting version sent by Eng Ranil Senaratne. But I have taken theliberty to change and add some of the wording and they are in italics.

A Psychiatrist (Nut doctor) used to visit a Mental Hospital (Nut House) to treat the physicalailments of the mental patients (Nuts). One fine day he found, on returning to his car afterfinishing his work, that he had a tyre puncture in one of the wheels that happened to be nextto a grill covering an opening to an underground drain several meters deep. After he removedthe wheel Nuts and kept them on the ground, his foot accidentally slipped against them andall four nuts disappeared through the grill into the deep drain. Now our physician – perhapsnot smartest of men and certainly ill-advised to attempt SLEN puzzles! - was literally scratchinghis head! Apparently, all this was being quietly observed by one of the inmates (obviouslynot the schizophrenic type! and obviouly a Nut) who walked up to the doctor and suggestedthat he should remove one nut each from the other wheels and fix the spare. The doctor atonce proceeded to follow the inmate’s advice and before departing profusely thanked him.The latter regarded the doctor with a quizzical smile and said, ‘Doctor, I may be a Nut; but Iam not a stupid.’!”

Isn’t it funny how many NUTS there are in the story? The whole thing happens in a NutHouse, the victim being a Nut Doctor. The solution was offered by a resident Nut Case andinvolved, of all things, NUTS.

Problem 3 (Short ladders): The following diagram explains everything. I leave it to you tocheck whether Eng Priyantha Appuhamy is right.

46-B: The Difficult One (Contributed by Eng. RanilSenaratne)The factory manager of SLL finds that he has overestimated the demand for their first andonly product when recruiting his workforce. As a result, their manufacturing capacity, whichis C units per day, exceeds their daily demand of D. Their manufacturing operations requirehighly skilled workers and are labour intensive. The large labour force results in a heavy fixedcost burden and consequently the factory has been making a loss. There is great pressureon the factory manager to immediately reduce this fixed cost.

The factory manager feels that he can effect this cost reduction by reducing his workforceimmediately and, when the demand does increase, by adding staff subsequently. The lattercosts Rs. A per worker (cost of recruiting and training) and requires T days (independent ofthe number of new workers) for training. (Workers can be fired without incurring a cost.)

The sales manager’s revised demand growth estimate is G units/day/day, and the managementaccountant has calculated the daily wage to be Rs W.

Derive an expression which gives the level to which the factory capacity should be reducedto minimize labour costs.

THE INSTITUTION OFENGINEERS, SRI LANKA

Competition

on“Water Resources Development and

Future Challenges”- Role ofEngineering meeting Future

Challenges of Water ResourcesDevelopment in Sri Lanka”

Session 2011 / 2012Sponsored by

International WaterManagement Institute (IWMI)We are pleased to announce that arrangements are beingmade for the forthcoming Competition on Water ResourcesDevelopment sponsored by IWMI towards the AnnualSessions of IESL in October 2012. The prizes will be givenfor the two best Technical Papers under the abovementioned theme prepared for this competition byAssociate Members & Corporate Members of IESL. Jointlyauthored papers will be accepted, provided at least one ofthe authors satisfies the above criteria. Papers must beoriginal and demonstrate the author’s knowledge andexperience of the subject. The award winning articles willbe published in the journal, “Engineer” of the IESL.

Water is a vital input in industrial, energy, tourism,recreational, navigation, agriculture, forestry, livestock andfishery sectors. As water scarcity grows, competitionamong sectors and users, and between the human needsand the environment intensifies. Effective and efficientwater management is therefore a prerequisite forsustainable socio-economic development.

The paper can address extraction, storage, distribution,use and disposal issues in any economic sector. It shouldillustrate how engineering and technology is applied inincreasing productivity, in balancing supply and demandof water and/or in reducing water pollution and protectingfreshwater ecosystems.

Preference will be given to papers of an empirical andanalytical nature based on primary and/or secondary dataalthough papers addressing topical issues throughconceptual development may also be forwarded.

AWARDS & PRIZES

(A) Rs. 45,000.00- For members of IESLover 35 years of age on 01 October 2012

(B) Rs. 30,000.00- Engineeringgraduates holding membership of IESL and35 years of age and below on 01 October2012007

Intention to participate in this competition shouldbe intimated to us along with your bio-data & thefull Technical Papers on or before 30 May 2012.IESL form IWMI/1 should be used for thispurpose.

Further information could be obtained from theChairman, Steering Committee on WaterResources Development of The Institution ofEngineers, Sri Lanka, on Tel: 072- 3421493 orPublicity Officer-IESL 011-2685490, 011-2698426or 011-2699210, ext-232, 207,E-mail: dir.pub@iesl.lk, ieslpub@gmail.com,Fax : 011-2699202

Contd. on page 6....

Sri Lanka Engineering News - January 2012IESL NEWS6

THE INSTITUTION OF ENGINEERS,SRI LANKACompetition

on

“Eco Efficient Water Infrastructure for SustainableDevelopment – Experiences gained from IntegratedWater Resources Infrastructure Development in Sri

Lanka”Session 2011/2012

Sponsored by

St. Anthony’s Industries Group (Private) Ltd.(MANUFACTURES OF ANTON PVC PIPES AND FITTINGS)

Two competitions will be held this year for the award of certificates and cash prizes. Thecompetition soliciting original Technical Papers on research and case studies are acceptedfrom members of IESL who are above 35 years.

There will also be another competition for members who are 35 years and below on 01October 2012. This competition is open to members of IESL and final year students ofFaculties of Engineering of Universities in Sri Lanka who are student members of IESL orwho obtain such membership before submitting their technical papers.Closing ate

AWARDS & PRIZES 2007

ABOVE 35 YEARS ON 2012.10.01 35 YEARS AND BELOW ON2012.10.01First Prize - Rs. 50,000/= First Prize - Rs. 25,000/=Second Prize - Rs. 25,000/= Second Prize - Rs. 15,000/=Third Prize - Rs. 10,000/= Third Prize - Rs. 5,000/=

The members (Fellows, Members, Associate Members, Associates, Companions and Students)who wish to participate must obtain the application forms from IESL and submit bio data &full Technical Papers to reach the Executive Secretary, Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka,No. 120/15, Wijerama Mawatha, Colombo 07 on or before 30 May 2012.

Further information could be obtained from the Chairman, Steering Committee on WaterResources Development of The Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka, on Tel: 072- 3421493or Publicity Officer-IESL 011-2685490, 011-2698426 or 011-2699210,ext- 232 , 207,E-mail: dir.pub@iesl.lk, ieslpub@gmail.com, Fax : 011-2699202

Electrification of the rail system fromPanadura to Veyangoda.

I hope my thoughts on this matter will help the IESL of which I was the first to qualify as aChartered Mechanical Engineer in 1971 by being successful at its own exam.

Having served my mother land for 26 years I have been in USA for the past 24 years. This givesme a different perspective of railways. USA had 1000’s of miles of rail lines in the last century.Today most of it has been dismantled. The once in a way jogging I do is along an abandonedrail track which has been converted to a walking, jogging and cycling trail, well lit even at night.The jogging track is covered with a soft layer to prevent injury to the knee joints etc. The last legof the rail system, the passenger traffic that is struggling to operate is running at a loss, heavilysubsidized by the Federal Government. The motor car and air transport has taken over passengertransport. One of the few uses of the rail system today is to transport new cars from themanufacturer to the retailers. This too is being surpassed by specially designed trucks thatcan carry about 25 cars and avoids double handling from rail station to the retailer, by goingdirectly from the manufacturer to the retailer may be 2,000 miles away. Most ot these havearisen as USA is 100 times larger than Sri Lanka in area and has only 12 times its population.Density of population is a key issue in passenger transport. When I was putting up RuhunuCement Works in Galle in the 1960’s, I met several individuals who travelled daily to Colombofor work. Electrification would not help such passengers. Regular train users are not concentratedwithin a 20 mile radius. In Europe and Japan the situation is different as they are smaller in area and denser in populationdistribution than USA. Because of this passenger traffic is heavy from home to workplace. Ihave experienced passenger transport in both these countries. During my recent visit to Italy, Idid see a large number of heavy trucks, even all the way from Russia. In the past this wouldhave been by rail. Perhaps commercial rail transport is declining in Europe too.

If only 7% of passengers are carried by Sri Lanka Railways, how is it economically feasible todump so much capital to electrify the rail system from Panadura to Veyangoda? Having beentrained at the CGR workshops in Ratmalana, to me it is quite clear that maintenance cost ofelectic engines is lower than that of diesel engines. Is the cost difference so great so as tojustify electrification? What will happen when a drought sets in and the hydroelectric power, onwhich Sri Lanka depends so much, is not available? Does the rail system come to a standstill? To me the proposal to electrify the rail system from Panadura to Veyangod looks disastrous.

by Eng. Suranjith Peiris

Health Insurance Schemefor the IESL Members

Dear Member, Hurry Up! Time is runningout!

Submit your proposal forms to the IESLsoon…….or else you will be run out!

This special offer for this year will endsoon.

The burden of the Hospital Bill can bevery heavy….but if you are wise enoughyou can transfer the burden to a thirdparty. Don’t miss this chance!

For details contact the IESL FinanceDivision

In terms of good health the engineering professionals

usually carry a high risk due to the sheer nature of

their profession. Unlike other professionals they usually

engage in field works, hazardous works, and are open

to environmental forces. As such imagine a situation

which requires you to be hospitalized. Then who will

foot the bill.

Don’t worry. Now the IESL has come forward to give a

remedy for you. The IESL in collaboration with the NITF

(a corporate body coming under the Ministry of

Finance) has arranged a Health Insurance Scheme for

your benefit. Now you can get your risk covered by

paying just one tenth or so of the amount covered.

Main Features of the Scheme:

• This is a group policy and has commenced

on 01-12-2011. Even if you join now you

will get all the benefits. The only loss is that

you forgo that no. of days up front. Join

before the offer end soon.

• Members upto 85 years are eligible

• Join in without undergoing any medical test

• Sum insured ranges from Rs. 150,000/=

upto Rs. 1,000,000 (6 options are available)

which covers hospital expenses

• Additional Rs. 500,000/= cover for 25 critical

illnesses for no increase in premium

• Personal accidents, eye care, child births,

deaths etc., also covered for no additional

premium

• Treatment taken in Private and Govt.

hospitals as well as Aurvedic hospitals are

accepted

• Spouse and the children also covered but no

added premium

• Members working abroad can insure the

spouse and children or parents if they are

living in Sri Lanka.

• Hassle free hospitalization and bill

settlement system

Contd. from page 5.... Solution for Puzzle...

Sri Lanka Engineering News - January 2012IESL NEWS 7

B.Sc. degree in Transport &Logistics Management at

University of Moratuwa getsCILT Accreditation

Sent by Prof. Amal Kumarage

The Faculty of

Engineering at theUniversity of

Moratuwa has produced yetanother world class degreeprogram. The B.Sc. HonoursDegree in Transport &Logistics Management hasbeen accredited by theChartered Institute of Logisticsand Transport (CILT) as fulfillingall the academic requirementsfor the Charter Membership ofthe Institute. The Institutefounded in 1919, and whichreceived its Royal Charter in1926 has recognized only ahandful of degrees as beingfully fulfilling all the academicrequirements. A program tomark this occasion was heldat the Continental Hotel,Colombo on 9th August withProf Malik Ranasinghe as theChief Guest. The event wasalso attended by the Chairmanof the CILT Sri Lanka,Professor Amal S. Kumarage,Dean Faculty of Engineering,Prof Anuruddha Puswewelaand Mr Saliya Senanayake,International Vice-President ofCILT.

The Chartered Institute ofLogistics and Transport (CILT)is a uniquely establishedglobal professional bodyassociated with logistics andtransport with over 33,000members in over 30 countriesworldwide, The CharteredInstitute of Logistics &Transport in Sri Lanka wasestablished in 1985 by an Actof Parliament.

The B.Sc. degree program inTransport & LogisticsManagement at the Universityof Moratuwa began in 2006 atthe request of the industry. Ithas had an annual intake of 50students from the Mathematicsstream of the GCE AdvancedLevel examinations. Entry tothis program is highly

competitive and is currentlyone of the top four coursesin the Mathematics Streamfor most districts. The studyprogram is offered under theFaculty of Engineering andthrough a separatedepartment of Transport &Logistics Management. It isa four year courseconducted in the EnglishMedium. As a moderncurriculum it contains manylearning orientedcomponents includingleadership training,mentoring, communitydevelopment, full t imeinternship with industry,presentation andcommunication skil lsdevelopment etc.The subjects range fromtechnical content in aviation,shipping, transport, supplychain, roads and railwaysareas to the full range ofmanagement subjects. Ithas 150 credits and can beconsidered as a doubledegree in Management andTransport. It also has a heavycomponent of mathematicssubjects underlying theanalytical orientation of thecourse. Its first batch ofstudents that graduated inOctober 2010 are now fullyemployed in the airlines,ports, shipping companies,supply chain companies,freight forwardingcompanies, highwaysagencies, manufacturingcompanies etc both locallyand abroad.

The study program hasbeen closely associatedwith the local industry rightfrom the beginning even incurriculum development.Senior executives functionas official mentors ofstudents and all studentscomplete a six month fullt ime internship in theindustry. Many industryleaders serve as visitingfaculty and guest lecturers.These aspects have madestudents who graduateready for the challenges ofthe world of work.

In the photograph (Left to Right)• Prof Malik Ranasinghe – Former Vice-Chancellor,

University of Moratuwa• Prof Amal Kumarage – Chairman CILT Sri Lanka• Mr Saliya Senanayake – International Vice President

CILT

WHAT CAUSES MANYSRI LANKANS TO BE DEFICIENT IN

PATRIOTISM AND DUTIFULNESS

Contd. on page 11...

It is really disturbing tonote that currently theaverage Sri Lankan ail

from lack of patriotism anddutifulness, compared tocitizens of other South AsianNations. These weaknessesof ours have always beenpuzzling and hurting us to agreat extent. It is clear thatthis change in trend hasbeen creeping into oursociety since the beginningof 80s. The purpose of thisarticle is to draw yourattention to this matter witha view to stimulating ameaningful dialogue betweenus in this context. It is alsohigh time for us to thinkpositively and contribute in amanner that will address thissituation individually as wellas a community within ourcontrols as an initialmeasure.

Prevalence of selfishnessover all other factors hasbecome order of the day.People tend to ignorecommon ethics and nationalinterests when they want toget their things done in theirday to day life. I believe theseattitudes also have greatlyinfluenced and misguidedtheir kith and kin to a greatextent. As a matter of fact, itis a common trend now forthe younger generation to goafter personal gains as theystart their working life. Incontrast, in the older daysthose starting work used tobe very enthusiastic indelivering something theyhave in their store to theiremployers and the countryas a whole. They, notconcerned about how muchthey were paid in the earlydays of their careers werewell aware that they shouldearn their status by onlycontributing to theiremployers gradually andsteadily. It certainly helpedboth the employers as wellas employees to developand maintain a goodrelationship in the past. Thenew phenomenon which hasevolved as result ofgreediness anddiscontentment among thenew generation has led to acertain level of insecurity andmistrust among each other.This situation, I believe, hasbeen the reason for theemployees to provokethemselves to undermine theinterests and stability of theemployer. The unruliness andunrest prevailing in workingplaces today are the resultsof these attitudes andbehavior patterns of theemployees, the end result

being a negative impact on theeconomy of the country as awhole.

Sri Lanka is one of thecountries where education andhealth are provided almost free.Even higher education andspecial medical facilities couldbe obtained relatively at verysubsidized rates which peoplein other countries in our regiondo not enjoy. The family healthcare is provided by the stateat no direct cost to theindividual. It could be assessedas comparable as that providedin more affluent countries forwhich they have to pay heavytaxes and fees. The transportfacilities provided to the peoplethrough the public transportnetwork which is jointly run bythe government and the privatesector are extremelypraiseworthy in comparison toother countries excepting Indiain our region. Regardless of afew weaknesses andbreakdowns in the system, weshould be very fortunate toenjoy these facilities at suchreasonable costs. The Statespends a major share ofrecurrent expenditure insubsidizing education, health,food, transport and nationalsecurity.

We are a multi-lingual andmulti-religious society whichhas embraced human valuesto its highest levels regardlessof what the so calleddeveloped countries are mostcritical about. We have a verycivilized history dating back tomore than 2500 years. Wehave been electing our owninstitutions and governmentssince 1931. The country hasbeen promoting genderequality with the acquisition ofuniversal franchise for womenas far back as 1933. TheBuddhist Teachings andPractices have been inexistence in the country forover a period of 2500 years. Itis commonly believed that LordBuddha has visited this islandon three occasions. In spite ofall these good policies,traditions and human qualities,we possess, it is very patheticto observe the degrading signsof attitudes and humanbehavior of our people in therecent decades.

As many of you are aware andhave quite distinctly observed,violation of road discipline byboth motorists and pedestrianshas become an alarming anddangerous trend today. It hasbecome the No.1 killersurpassing deaths due to othercauses. The reason for thisbehavioral pattern is againattributed to selfishness and

lack of dutifulness. Theyare only concerned abouttheir immediate needs atthe time they use the roads.They don’t seem toconsider the rights of otherroad users with the sameprominence as theirs.Therefore respect to othersas a whole is becoming arare commodity in oursociety today.

Many of you would be verycritical and free to cite andcomplain about theindiscipline and theunjustness which befall onthem. Everyone would beunified in criticizing theinterference of politicians intrying to help theirsupporters to getunjustifiable advantagesand benefits over othermore qualified personsconcerning various publicissues. But yet one will goto the extent ofcontravening common lawand rules when one is aftera job for one of their siblingsor fighting to get a goodschool for their kid or tryingto get a scholarship or anysimilar issues to theiradvantage. It is well knownthat the police in Sri Lankaare corrupt and the publicdemands that this practiceshould be rectifiedimmediately but how manyof us are prepared toundergo the pain and makean attempt to force on thepolice to be more lawful incarrying out their duties. Sowhere do we stand then?One is not concerned aboutwhether they themselvesviolate the properprocedures so long as theyfulfill their task, but themoment somebody elseviolates the rules theywould be very quick topinpoint. This is exactlywhere we all default inpublic. It is a commonargument that we all heareveryday, that if anything isgood for the politician, ourboss, our next door man orsomebody else, what iswrong in our doing thesame thing. This practicecould be simply defined asaiding the wrong-doers.These are not BuddhistEthics by any means. Canwe be satisfied asBuddhists by just visitingour temples on Poya Daysand partaking in religiousactivities only? Leave asidethe more complex theoriestaught in Buddhism for thetime-being, as practicing

Prepared by: Eng. S D Jayaweera

OPINION

Sri Lanka Engineering News - January 2012IESL NEWS8

Looking for an engineering job ina foreign country?by Eng. P.H.V.S. Kulatilake.

It is not an exaggerationto assume that over50% of our engineers

that graduated fromuniversities andaccredited institutions inSri Lanka have worked orare currently working inforeign countries asprofessional engineers.For instance, 16 out of 23electrical engineers whograduated in 1986/1987from University ofMoratuwa, are working inforeign countries today.At present the number ofengineers ready to enterthe workforce in a year fromSri Lankan institutes isclose upon 1000. I amcertain that more thanhalf of this number wouldlike to work in a foreigncountry owing to variousreasons; such as lack ofopportunities in Sri Lankaand to improve theirfinancial stability or to gainmore experience in thefield.

The engineering degreeawarded by Sri Lankanuniversities is definitely onpar with a similar degreeawarded by any otheruniversity in the world.Engineers graduated fromSri Lankan universitieswho are working inoverseas assignments aredoing extremely well,which is a reason to beproud of. The theoreticalknowledge gain from SriLankan universities is heldin high esteem all over theworld.Acquiring a suitable joboverseas or working inforeign engineering firmsis somewhat different tothe acquisition of anengineering job in SriLanka. Hence, it isimportant to identify thefactors and weigh thembefore venturing to searchfor a suitable job overseasin the engineering field.This article might be ofimmense help to assessyourself in finding asuitable job or to improvethe required skills youmay need to succeed inyour position as anengineer once you go to aforeign country for the firsttime. This article is based

on a sample studyconducted by the author oncase studies of severalengineers working overseascoupled with personalexperience. The sampleconsists of more engineerswho have migrated toCanada, to Australia and tothe USA than, engineersworking on termedcontracts in other foreigncountries.

General factors

1.AgeAge is one of the importantfactors that has to be takeninto consideration if youdecide to work in a foreigncountry. To migrate to acountry like Canada,Australia or USA, it isextremely important tomake such a decision in theearly days of your career. Itwill be very difficult to findjobs and to worksuccessfully in the job forthe first time in a foreigncountry, if you are more than45 years of age. However ifit is for a term contract in aforeign country, this agelimit might not be ofsignificance. The best agelimit for migration would bebetween 30 to 40 years. Bythis age, one would havegained sufficient experienceto try a foreign job. More overthe fact that one has servedour mother land for aconsiderable period of time,should help to make him/herfeel at ease.

2. Family StatusThis is another importantfactor to consider. Unlike inSri Lanka, the cost ofdaycare centres for childrenis expensive in countrieslike Canada, Australia andUSA. For families with veryyoung children, it is betterto think twice before makingany move. At the least,children should be inschooling age so that theywill be in school during yourworking time. A colleague ofmine migrated to Canadawith his family consisting oftwo very young children. Hecould not find a suitable jobin the field of his choice andduring the first six monthshe worked on odd jobswhich did not bring him

sufficient wages to pay fora day care centre for thetwo children. Aftervacillating in various jobsfor six months in Canada,unable to gain stability, heeventually returned to SriLanka.

3. Economic stability ofthe country.

Professionals are definitelynot desirous of securingjobs in countries wherethere is an ongoing war orthat are in dire economicstraits. The country youwish to work in, shouldhave a strong economicbackground or should havedevelopment programmesfunded by recognizedestablishments like UN,ADB or World Bank. I recallhow two of my colleaguesundertook someassignments in Iraq a fewyears ago but had to returnto Sri Lanka after workingfor a very short period whenthe war began in Iraq.Presently, there arenumerous viabledevelopment projects thatare actively progressing incountries of the Africancontinent. However, youshould make sure that thecompany you intend towork for, has stability andwould remunerate you asagreed in the initialcontract.

4. Working conditions

Working conditions maydiffer from country tocountry or from project toproject. Before taking overany job, you shouldevaluate the workingconditions and workinghours of the job you wishto undertake. If it is for aproject, the company maypay you for all the extrahours you work, which youwould like to accept.However some companiespay salaries toprofessionals, but there willnot be payments forworking extra hours. It mayoften be difficult tocomplete some tasks in aspecific project within thegiven working hours butthere will be nocompensation for the extra

Contd. on page 10...

Peradeniya Computer EngineeringRocks and Reigns in Motorola

Enterprise Mobility 2011Competition and a Spate of Other

Events

A series of wins by Peradeniya Computer Engineeringundergraduates at the highest level of Industry competitionshas taken the Sri Lankan Computing establishment by

storm.

They beat teams from all other established Computer Engineering/Science faculties/departments of Sri Lankan university systemand the multitude of private sector establishments to represent SriLanka at prestigious Microsoft Imagine Cup 2011 finals held inNew York.

They were also the winners of Inter University Enterprise MobilitySoftware Development Competition, organized jointly by the SriLanka Association of Software and Services Center of Excellencefor Mobile and Telecom (SLASSCOM) and Motorola TechnologiesLanka (Pvt.) in early October, 2011. The competition was held atthe University of Colombo, School of Computing. In the immediateaftermath of this victory, Hayleys PLC, one of the biggest blue-chip companies in the country, has asked the wining team of thecompetition to do a pilot project around the solution they proposedin the competition as an application for their agricultural machinerysub-sector.

A student from the department won a cash award and certificate,while another was awarded a certificate at “Migara RatnatungaTrust Awards competition for The Best Undergraduate IndustrialTraining project”, organized by the IESL.

Another Computer Engineering undergraduate became one of thefinalists in Mbillionth South-Asia Award – 2011 competition underthe category m-Education and Learning: he was the onlyundergraduate finalist representing Sri Lanka at the competitionheld in India.

These recent achievements of Department of Computer Engineeringin its sector of Sri Lankan industry provide ample evidence of thecommanding position reached by the department and the universityin all what concerns Computer Engineering in the country.

It is noteworthy that all engineering faculties of Sri Lankan universitysystem and public and other private-sector higher educationalestablishments engaged in awarding computer relatedundergraduate programmes in the country were represented inthese competitions and the victories were obtained through hardcompetition: for instance, in the Enterprise Mobility SoftwareDevelopment Competition mentioned above, among the 16 teamswho came to the final round, 4 teams were from the Department ofComputer Engineering, Peradeniya and one other team was fromDepartment of Electrical & Electronic Engineering, Peradeniya.The panel of judges included both local and foreign high-profileprofessionals in the domain. In the previous year too, the departmentof Computer Engineering showcased two very cutting edgesolutions and one was adjudged the first runner up at the samecompetition.

These victories are in a backdrop of a set of victories by several

departments of Peradeniya Engineering in general: the departments

of Computer, Civil and Electrical & Electronic Engineering won the

best awards at Young Inventors, Best Industrial Training Project and

Best Electrical Engineering Project competitions, all organized by IESL

in the year 2011. A group of Electrical & Electronic Engineering students

represented Sri Lanka at “ABU Robocon 2011” in Thailand. Four Final

year Electrical and Electronic Engineering students were selected for

the final round of the ‘International Future Energy Challenge’ (IFEC).

Department of Computer Engineering is emerging as a major force

in guiding the local software Industry and also asserting itself as an

internationally recognized research institution in the domain. The

departments’ many core and interdisciplinary research groups conduct

research on topics such as Computer Architecture, Embedded

Systems, Complex Reactive Systems and Intelligent Systems and

regularly publish at various local and international conferences.

-Acting Head, Dept. of Computer Engineering, University of Peradeniya

Sri Lanka Engineering News - January 2012IESL NEWS 9

activities are being carriedout with proper planningwhich in turn lead tosustainable development.

Effective outcome of thelabourers is a criticalachievement in terms ofactivity durations and thequality of work. This isachieved by preparing thema safe and hygiene workingenvironment by frequentSafety Audits. A fullinspection of the site iscarried out during a SafetyAudit including toilets,garbage pits, hidden cornersof buildings and roof tops.Attention is paid on possiblemosquito breeding sites, nonhygienic environments inwash rooms, changingrooms and toilets during theaudit. Also the safetyconcerns are addressedduring the audit. All thelabourers shall wear safetyboots, gloves, safetyharnesses (wherenecessary), helmets for theirown safety. All paths wherepeople travel in the site shallbe clear and well defined.Labourers working at highelevations shall be providedwith proper workingplatforms…etc. All these willlead to an effective outcomefrom the labourers and it willcontribute to sustainabledevelopment by minimizingconstruction times andwastages.

While construction is to beblamed as the major reasonfor deforestation, we havemanaged to maintain anenvironmentally friendly siteas much as we can. Wehave retained the trees whichwere originally there at thesite as much as we can andhave cut only that is must.We have planted new treescelebrating worldenvironment day whichkeeps the worksite and theenvironment in harmony.Apart from all of the aboveconcerns, I can still practicesustainable development inthe office environment byprinting what is must,adjusting the A/Ctemperature at 25~26C0

range, turning offunnecessary lights, turning offcomputers if not used…etc.From all of the above, it feelslike I am contributing towardsSustainable Development toa certain extent. If all sevenbillion of us can think and acttowards using our resourceseffectively, and saving themfor the next generation, thisworld will be full of beautifulfaces, even tomorrow.

“The following article was written by Eng A.M. Amila Shivanthaka Dayarathna,

attached to the National Water Supply and Drainage Board, a Postgraduate student

following an MSc course in Environmental Engineering at University of Moratuwa

as an assignment given at the start of the program and was forwarded to SLEN by

Eng. Prof Mrs. Niranjanie Ratnayake, Senior Professor, Department of Civil

Engineering, University of Moratuwa”

My Efforts to Implement SustainableDevelopment Principles at Site

As humans, weconsume resourcesin various forms to

perform our day to dayactivities and to preserve ourcomfort. From the alarm wewake up in the morning tothe light we turn off to sleep,it is resources that weconsume. It is not just youand me, but the massiveseven billion of people allaround the world use theirportion of resources, daily.However, the earth being anisolated globe in theuniverse, has a very limitedamount of resourcesavailable to be consumed.There we have theimportance of consumingthese resources to meet ourneeds while preservingthem for the futuregenerations, which is called“Sustainable Development”in short. While we must alldo our part to minimize ourecological foot print bytaking measures forresource conservation in ouractivities as individuals, weengineers have a bigger roleto play, as our professioninherently makes use oflarge amounts of resources,as given in the definition ofEngineering - “the Art andthe Science of working withthe great sources of powerin nature for the use andbenefit of Society”

Being a Civil Engineeremployed as a constructionconsultant of a 1500m3

capacity, 32m high watertower, I have theresponsibility to carry out allmy activities ensuringSustainable Development.

As a constructionconsultant, a majorresponsibility assigned tomyself is carrying out siteinspections especially priorto concreting. An Elevatedreservoir being a waterretaining structure, carries ahigh risk of deterioration dueto corrosion of steelreinforcement. If corrosiontakes place within thestructure, lifespan of thestructure will shortendramatically. Shorterlifespan will lead to frequentrepairs or reconstructionsconsuming a lot of materialsand labour. So, verifying along lasting constructionduring my inspections willensure saving of resourcesin the future. Consideringthis fact, I pay my fullestattention to crucial facts likemaintaining clear cover to

ensure durableconstruction. I have noticedand corrected small bindingwires extruding towards thesurface of the concrete fromthe main reinforcement.These small extrusions willbe corroded and will becarrying moisture to mainreinforcement if ignored.So, as a constructionconsultant, I pay myattention even on a smallbinding wire to ensure thedurability of the structure tomake sure I play my role inSustainable Development.A common way of energyand materials being wastedon construction sites isdouble work. If a concreteis not vibrated properlywhile pouring, it mightresult in honeycombswhich needs to be attendedlater. The same thing canbe resulted in cases ofcement grout being leakedthrough formwork joints.Even a small thing likeplacement andarrangement of falseworkwill consume a lot of timeand energy if it has to bere-arranged at the next levelconcrete. So, I assist thecontractor providingsuggestions andinstructions to avoid suchdouble works to save time,energy and materials.

Another way that theresources being wasted onconstruction sites is lack ofplanning on activities. In thisparticular water tower, itincludes a lot of complexreinforcements to beperformed. And in someplaces, it is necessary toconsult the structuralengineer and seek foralternative reinforcementarrangements to ensurethe flow of concrete throughreinforcement. I even do 3Ddrawings of reinforcementto ensure the detailing iscorrect, before approvingthe bar schedules for barbending. If it was notcorrected there, the bendedbars will have to be cut andnew bars will have to beplaced in case of anychange to thereinforcement after bindingthe bars. The same way,concrete pouring schedulesare checked prior toconcreting, consideringroad traffic, batching times,pouring times…etc, toavoid any delays orwastages of concrete. Thisway, I can ensure the site

Contd. from page 1...

Highway .....decreases as you slow down.Both have the effect of theintruder exiting the cocoon.

Rear end management: A rearend intruder in to the cocoon ismore difficult to handle. Onething you can do is to speed upto leave the intruder behind or toslow down so that the cocoonshrinks having the same effect.This gives a chance to theintruder to slow down unless heis on a suicide mission.

In Bahrain, where I live, suchsuicide missions are quitecommon and both methodsmentioned above may not bepracticable when you find aDodge Charger or a ChevroletCamaro suddenly appearingbehind your car as ifmaterializing out of thin air. Theguy will not stop at themiraculous act of making asudden appearance but will alsomaneuver in to kissing distancefrom your rear bumper. You haveto remember that all this dramais taking place at a speed ofabove 100 km/hr. Whateverother short comings thesebumper kissing Formula 1drivers have, sounding the hornin irritation as in SL is not one ofthem. No Sir, they are very politethat way.

Shrinking the cocoon is not asolution in this case becausethe guy is just a few millimetersbehind you anyway and if yourcocoon shrinks any more itsboundary will enter your vehicle,which of course is no man’s landfor cocoon boundaries.

How about the other option ofspeeding up? Did you sayspeeding up? Speeding up witha supercharged 3000 ccmonster firing 8 cylindersagainst your measly 1200 cc 4cylinders? You have to be crazyto try that option. Even if yousucceed, the guy behind willtake it as a challenge and start aracing competition with you,which is not going to be verypleasant, I can assure you,though it may be thrilling to theother spectators. Thus,changing to the other lane is theonly option left unless it isalready occupied by a driver onanother suicide mission.

Changing Lanes: Bahrain is fullof skilful drivers some of who areexperts at lane hopping. Whilethe rest of the traffic moves at alegal limit of 100 km/hr theselane hoppers weave left andright and fly through seeminglyimpossible gaps at somethinglike 150 km/hr resemblingswallows feeding on a swarmof flies.

Lane changing without properpreparation and letting yourintention known to other driversaround you is extremelydangerous. You have to use yourrear view mirror and the sidemirrors to ensure that it is safe.You have to be mindful about theblind zone in the side mirrors.The side mirrors do not showany vehicles in this zone. Thiscan be overcome by attachingtwo small higher curvatureconvex mirrors on the sidemirrors or a quick glance overyour shoulder.

The turn indicator lamps mustbe turned on before you execute

the maneuver. In countries likethe US it is a serious offence ifyou change lanes withoutswitching on the turn indicatorseven if the other lane is empty.The lane weavers in Bahrain donot need the side mirrors or thelights and any way do not usethem because the rear viewflashes by - in fact the wholefuture flashes by at high speedfor them - in something likeEinstein’s time dilation effect.But lesser mortals l ike uscannot depend on Einstein forthese things.

Once upon a time in Bahrain,an electrical engineeringundergraduate did a researchon the life of various kinds oflamps and found that turnindicator lamps are the longestlasting. The reason was foundto be that they are hardly everused. In fact they are used onlywhen one learns driving afterwhich they serve only some sortof decorative purpose. Any driverwho uses turn indicators isconsidered as a novice andother drivers give him or herlooks of disdain or pity as theypass him/her. It is almost likehaving a big L board on your car.

But there is a time when eventhe experienced drivers turnthem on. That is during foggyconditions. At these times, theybecome over enthusiastic andas if in an effort to catch up, turnon all four of them. In otherwords they use hazard warninglights. However muchauthorities tell them that hazardwarning lights should be tunedon only when the vehicle isbroken down and stationary,they would not listen.

But one has to admit that it addsone more thrill to lesser mortalslike us, where we have to guesswhich way the heavily ladencontainer truck in front of you inthe other lane is going to turn.Wait a second now – is he tryingto get in to my lane or is hegoing straight? Should Iaccelerate and overtake himand risk being side swiped? Orshould I slow down and allowhim to change lanes risking theimpatient guy behind meramming in to my boot? Theseare the momentary decisionsyou have to take unless youfollow my method given below.

Alternative Turn Indicator: Ihave developed a system todetect the intention of the otherdriver in such cases. In fact likean astrologer predicting atsunami it gives a very goodidea about what is about tohappen.

Just watch the front wheel of thesuspected vehicle. It is the firstpart to give signs of turning andit happens several splitseconds before the generalbody of the vehicle starts to veer.And in driving those splitseconds mean everything. Thissystem is most useful for bigvehicles. For small vehicles likecars it may not be thatdiscriminative. But being sideswiped by a car is so muchsofter than getting the sametreatment from a heavy truckthat you may even consider itas pleasant and enjoy theexperience.

To be Continued……

Sri Lanka Engineering News - January 2012IESL NEWS10

quality time you offer. Somecompanies provideaccommodation andtransportation to work. It isimportant to negotiate onthe provision of thesefacilities prior to undertakingjobs especially in the caseof UN assignments.Therefore at the very outset,it is paramount tounderstand the terms andconditions that accompanythe job offer.

5.Benefits

It is also important to evaluatethe benefits included withinthe package you get. This isan essential item when takingover termed contracts.Sometimes the take homesalary is same from companyto company; in suchinstances, it is the benefitpackage that would help youto make the selection.Medical facilities, short andlong term disability insuranceand retirement plans areincluded in this category.

Factors that directly affectyour career

1.Communication skills

Except China and Japan,English is by far the mostcommonly used language inalmost all the countries whereengineering jobs are indemand. However Englishwill be the only language tocommunicate with locals inthose countries too. Henceproficiency in English isextremely essential forsuccess in your career.However, proficiency inEnglish speaking alone doesnot mean that you have therequisite communicationskills. As an engineer youshould have demonstratedpresentation skills with atleast ten presentations on aknown subject for largeaudiences. The terminologyin the identical engineeringfield may differ from countryto country. It will take at leastsix months to familiariseyourself with the terminologyused in a particular country.Fluency in English will have astrong impact and anadvantage on your careersuccess as it will help you toadjust your communicationskills with ease.

Skills in Report writing areessential for foreignengineering jobs. Althoughverbal communication isimportant for day to dayactivities, writtencommunication skills set thecriterion for defending yourdecisions. Every job, whetherit is a regular maintenancejob or an operation kind of ajob, you would need topresent a written scope, abudget and a schedule. In SriLanka, our engineers arevested with authority, hencecomparatively easy to makeor change any decisions aswork progresses and will notface too many objections orobstructions. But if you are

working as an engineer in aforeign country, there will becontinuous challenges even for asmall change you make in theschedule, scope or the budget.The best way to defend yourdecision is to keep records of allwritten documents for futurereference. Engineering being anabstract discipline, writing skillsof most engineers tend to berather week. Hence developingskil ls in writing will certainlybenefit your work, wherever youare.

2.Marketing skills

Along with communication skillsour engineers should developtheir marketing skills in order tobe successful in overseas jobs.Unlike in Sri Lanka, you may endup changing your workplaceseveral times during your careerdue to financial instability of theorganizations concerned. Nocompany would retain you as anengineer if the company is notmaking any profit or is not aservice which has state approval.Hence you should develop yourmarketing skills by quantifying thepast experiences to find your nextjob.

About three years ago, two areaengineers who had similar yearsof experience in area engineeringin a popular utility in Sri Lanka,applied for a job as a reliabilityimprovement engineer in a smallutility dealing with electrical powerdistribution. As you are aware,area engineers are, perhaps themost work-loaded engineers inthe Sri Lankan engineeringsector. However, in the selectioninterview the first engineerproduced a very brief version ofthe area engineer’s manual heused in Sri Lanka and said he isin charge of all the electricaldistribution activities in the arearanging from break downanalysis, revenue collection,outage planning and providingnew connections. He producedall the paper certif icates heobtained including the degree,charter and his post graduatedegrees. The second engineerwho had the same experience asthe former one, presented aproject he executed to improve theelectricity system in the area. Hewas equipped with the test andcensus sheets that he haddeveloped to obtain thesubstation and distribution linestatus, along with maintenanceplans he had developed andexecuted along with correctiveactions in each and everysubstation and lines. Hepresented computer data sheetshe used to carry out the jobindicating the materials, vehiclesand human resourcerequirements. Although the firstengineer had the identical yearsof experience in the subject andproficiency in all activities that heperformed, he did not get the jobdue to lack of marketing skills. Thesecond engineer was not onlyselected for the position but is stillworking in the same positioncontributing his experiencetowards the new job in thatcompany. The above incidentclearly explains that a companyoffering a job to a prospectivecandidate places greateremphasis on what you couldcontribute towards the tangiblebenefits of the establishment,rather than on the know-how youpossess.

3.Technical Skills andexperience

This might be the mostimportant factor after all.Technical skil ls andtechnical experience are twodifferent factors. You may nothave technical skills butconversely possessconsiderable experiencewith number of years ofservice. However, theimportant factor is that youpossess technical skills.You should have a specialskil l you could marketyourself. You may be aqualified electrical engineerbut the position availablemay be for a particulardiscipline such asdesigning, scope writing,protection relay settings etc.Yet, you will not get theopportunity to face aninterview if you do not haverequested skills in thoseparticular areas. Forexample, if you are anelectrical engineerspecialising in substation ortransmission designing, HVequipment specificationwriting, network operations,technical scope writing forprojects, PLCprogramming, protectionrelay settings etc. yourchances of securing thatparticular job andsucceeding in that role willbe extremely high.

The number of Sri Lankanengineers working asmanagers in foreigncompanies is comparativelylow. Although the two rolesassociated with engineeringand management aredifficult to separate one fromthe other, and are two sidesof the same coin, personnelmanagement and projectmanagement positions inoverseas jobs are difficult togain without havingdemonstrated and provenskills on those areas. Thereare many local persons inforeign countries, who havethe ability to manage a teamof workers or manage alarge project. As an engineerwho has migrated fromanother country you shouldbe equipped with specialskills to contribute towardsthe uplift of the companyrather than focusing onmanaging a team. Asmentioned earlier too, theemphasis in such asituation is on what onecould contribute towards thecompany and not so muchon number of years onservice.

As an engineer working fora foreign company you areexpected to be resultsoriented. You should beable to demonstrate one ortwo assignments withresults obtained. You shouldbe able to set up your owngoals. There should be astart and end to all of yourassignments.

Today’s engineers usenumerous tools to executetheir design or in theirplanning work. It may be acomputer programmedeveloped by another

company. Eg. PSCADdeveloped by HVDC Manitobafor HV transient studies.Professionals possessingsuch meticulously developedskills on how various tools areused to perform the requiredtasks will certainly have betterchances of getting a job if thecompany in mind uses that toolor tools. Hence, experience withthe use of such types of softwaretools will be an addedadvantage on finding the job youare familiar with. Mostemployers choose to “hireskills” rather than people.

4.Work on your own

Working on your own is anotherskill to develop. Although someof the assignments are teamwork, you will be given a specifictask to perform within the team.You are responsible for eachand everything you are going toprovide within that special area.Calling upon your subordinatesor your team members for anyissues arising on your work willhave a negative impact on yourcareer advancement.

Engineers working on jobsoverseas are required toimprove the accuracy of the jobperformed and to complete theassignment according to thegiven scope. Design engineerswill have to stamp andauthenticate the design henceaccuracy of the design is ofutmost importance. None willcome forward to safeguard yourcareer if your stamped designcaused a failure. Thus, youcould end up in legalconfrontations for the damagescaused due to your incorrectdesign. Accuracy therefore, ofyour deliverables be it a design,or a specification or any scopereport must be unquestionableat all levels.

Engineers dealing with generaladministration activities alongwith personnel management orwith supervising schedules orprogrammes will haveextremely low opportunities inforeign companies. Althoughengineers should develop suchskills, those skills alone will notdetermine consideration for ajob in a foreign country.

5.Soft skills and work ethics

Finding a suitable job accordingto your experience and skillsmay be easy for you but, keepingthe same job in a longer run willbe more difficult if you do notdevelop your soft skills. If youare a person who works from 8AM to 4 PM regularly, you will bethe first to lose the job beforelong. The first six months in yourjob is extremely important inthis aspect. Until you familiarizeyourself with how to find yourtools to do your work you shouldbe the hardest workingemployee in the company. Youshould always remember thatthey did not give you the job butthat you earned it. You shouldnever be late for any meetingsor delay in completing anyassignment entrusted to you.Foreign companies expect youto be proactive than reactive insituations. This is another skillthat develops along with muchexperience in the same type ofassignments. Since every

assignment is coupled witha cost factor, themanagement wouldappreciate and commendyou if you could come up withproactive solutions to cutdown the cost.Mentoring is another skill forwhich you will receiveappreciation from yourmanagement. New hiresand junior engineers needcontinuous mentoring toperform their work. Yourmanager might not havesufficient time to engage inmentoring the juniors. Insuch instances, you couldvolunteer to mentor thejuniors with your experience.This will help you to improveyour communication skillsand simultaneously earnrespect from juniors.However you have toremember that you are onlya mentor to the junior and nothis manager.

You should always possessas well as demonstrate apositive attitude towards yourwork. This skill comes alongwith problem solving skills.Waiting for others to tell youwhat to do might have anegative impact on yourcareer. You should be aproblem solver rather than apassive bystander in theoffice.

When working in a foreigncountry, within yourestablishment, you willmeet many colleagueshailing from differentcountries and with differentcultural back grounds.Currently, there are manypersons from China, India,Pakistan and East Europeancountries working inmultinational companies.You should develop ahealthy working relationshipwith these multinationals.This may be easy to say butextremely difficult to achievedue to varying individualities.You should be a flexibleperson but withinreasonable limits. GenerallySri Lankans are rated aseasy going people who areready to build cordialrelationships with others yethesitant to stick to any onespecial group in thecompany. There are manyamong us who do not wishto take up any responsibilityor are not reliable andconscientious. Suchindividuals soon become asource of amusement in theworkplace and eventuallythe management will laythem off. You shouldtherefore endeavour to gainrecognition by the managersas a person who is reliableand completes a given taskefficiently and with minimumsupervision.

This article is not by anymeans supporting brain-drain in Sri Lanka but tohighlight some useful guidelines for engineersventuring on working in aforeign country. Perhapsmost of these guide linesmay prove beneficial foryoung engineers looking onjoining the Sri Lankanworkforce too.

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Sri Lanka Engineering News - January 2012IESL NEWS 11

Buddhists we should paymore attention to beexemplary in respect of morebasic human qualities andethics which we could beproud of ourselves, if theyproperly observed.

During impromptudiscussions with many offellow countrymen who haveeither left Sri Lanka or havingintentions of leaving Sri Lankain the near future for personalgains have expressed andargued with me that Sri Lankais not a favorable country tolive in as they do not have rightopportunities and recognitionto cater to their qualificationsand likes. The most criticalfactor they pinpoint is that ourcountry is corrupted and doesnot offer any environmentconducive to serve. They areever ready to complain aboutcorruptions and thebreakdowns in the systemsprevailing everywhere in thecountry. They keep onboasting about the goodnessand perfections of thesystems in the countries theyare either living in at presentor planning to go to in the nearfuture. This is really frustrating,as they tend to live on otherpeople’s achievements andparadises while notcontributing their skills andtalents to the environment inwhich they were educated andbrought in. The fact remainsis that they find it hard and donot want to go an extramileage in trying to organizethemselves and thecommunity aroundproductively. It may be that theyfeel inferior to deal andnegotiate with our ownpeople. Instead, they opt to putthe blame on others and try toget away. As a matter of fact,many people do notappreciate the facilities andthe freedom which we ascitizens in this country areenjoying comparatively in ourregion.

One could also argue at thisstage, then as to why SriLankan have behaved andreacted quite differently in theface of the Ealaam War andalso when tsunami struck oursoil in 2004. The fact remainsthat there were lot of commonreasons conducive for us to beunited and act as a unifiedforce on both occasions. Thecase with our nation is thatwhen it comes to general dayto day duties, personalinterests prevail over mostimportant national issues. It isquite natural that we all tendto be somewhat selfish ingeneral, as human beings.Nevertheless, there should becertain general ethics whichwe all should adhere andrespect as general citizens ofany country when they treatNational Interests and Duties.This is based on what Ibelieve and have been guidedby those whom we respect asNational Leaders who haveshown us exemplary paths tofollow in the past

Let me now elaborate on whatmade us to act quite differentlyduring the 30 year EalaamWar. As we all know, Sri Lanka

has been severely batteredand devastated continuouslythrough out the Ealaam Warwhich lasted for almost threedecades. Most Sri Lankanshave suffered or grieveddirectly or indirectly, duringthis horrified period. Thosewho left home in themornings could notguarantee that they couldcome back home in theevenings. People wereforced to undergo untoldhardships economically aswell as socially. Thesemiseries which the countryhad to face, really forcedpeople to get together andunite to fight and eliminatethis common enemy. It is thisunique situation whichhelped us to leave ournatural selfishness aside forthe sake of nationalinterests.

Sri Lanka which was hit bythe tsunami in December,2004, had to face untoldmiseries and take heavy tollon its economy during therecovery period. The countryas a whole had neitherexperienced nor reallyvisualized thehorrendousness of atsunami disaster before. Wewere caught completelyunaware of the event on thatvery fateful day. The wholenation rose together to helpeach other and rescue thosewho suffered from thismammoth devastationunprecedented in the recenthistory of Sri Lanka.Everybody displaying uniquehuman qualit ies cameforward to help each otherunder trying conditions. Againthis event had commonreasons for most of thepeople to unite and acttogether. Both these eventsbrought drastic impacts onour economy in series.However, I still do not see thatthe average Sri Lankanwould have behaved in thesame patriotic manner undernormal circumstances.

What are the causes forthese indifferent behaviorsand incorrigible attitudes?What steps could we take toimprove and reform oursociety in this respect? Whoshould take the leading rolein guiding and reorienting oursociety to be moreresponsible and disciplinedin every respect? Have we, asthe public, got any role to playin driving our kith and kin tobe exemplary citizens in ourcountry? How best could weaddress these issues?These are the pertinentquestions which come to mymind immediately.

I still remember the dayswhen Sri Lanka was goingthrough a closed economyduring the 70s withemphasis being given toimport substitution policiesdue to shortage of foreignexchange, world wide foodscarcity and spiraling of oilprices. The Sri LankanGovernment quite correctlyrose to the occasion andcurtailed imports andstepped up agricultureproduction in the country toits maximum. Lot ofunpopular restrictions and

regulations had to beintroduced in the midst ofheavy criticism by a minority‘super’ class who were notprepared to sacrifice someluxuries to achieve commongoals in the interest of thenation. The country wasproducing most of its basiccommodities at that time.Although the quality of theproducts had not reachedthat of foreign goods, yetpeople were content withwhat was available under thecircumstances. Regardlessof heavy crit icisms by ahandful of politicians, thecountry managed somehowto survive and overcome theeconomic obstacles to thebest of its abil ity. Thereasons for the success andcomplacency could beattributed to the nationalfeelings people had incommon at that time. Thepeople who were patrioticand national minded in thebeginning were somewhatcarried away by the politicalslogans in the latter stages.Nevertheless, thebackground which led to thefall of the government in 1977is a much more complex andwell orchestrated plan thanwhat we would have thoughtat a glance. It is not myintention however toelaborate on the issueswhich led to the change ofgovernment at that time.However, there is a schoolof thought prevailing now thatwe would have been betteroff had we continued in amuch more balanced andindigenous economicsystem than making it fullyliberalized as it was donethen.

With the change ofgovernment in 1977, thecountry was exposed to fullscale open economy asenjoyed by most of the muchaffluent countries in the westat that time. All therestrictions which were inplace before were removedand then people wereallowed to import what everthey fancied and could affordto sell in the open market.The television media wastoo introduced and followedby the lifting and relaxationof rules of the NationalPerformance CensorshipAct, pertaining to screeningof films, sales of printedmaterials and newspapersetc. New liberal moves andpolicies were introduced inrespect of newly emergingTV and Radio channels. Thecurriculum for the educationtoo was subject to an overallreform in the context ofchanging trends in thecountry. The subjects likeGeography, History,Literature and Civics wereremoved and replaced withone general subject calledSocial Studies. The studentswere gradually distancedfrom the opportunities thatwere available for them tostudy and familiarizethemselves with theideologies and life stories ofour national leaders whohad guided and motivated usin the past. The access tostudy literature and makethem to appreciate good

literary works of poets andrenowned writers in the classroom itself was changed andremoved. The students weredirected to confine themselvesto class notes and handful oftextbooks only. The good readinghabits of children thus began todisappear leaving us with ayoung generation with limited allround knowledge and degradedhuman qualit ies. The newgeneration was oriented to bemore and more competitive andself oriented so far as to getthrough their exams only. Theurge to maintain the inter-familyrelationships and neighborhoodconnections started to erodeaway in view of limitation of timeavailable for social events.Another very important factorwhich has contributed to thedenudation of inter-family and theneighborhood relationships isthe campaign introduced by thegovernment in office in the 80sto encourage people to cut downthe numbers in each family to 3or less as a step towardsreducing population growth. Thefamily bonds that were createdand maintained through outgenerations too were affecteddue to reduction of family sizeand changing values of theenvironment. The introduction ofTV, TV Games and the Internethas had drastic impacts to ourculture and family styles. All thesefactors have attributed to thesorry state of our cultural valuesand attitudes. It is my firm viewthat we as a country should havebeen more careful and preparedbefore opening these newwindows to the modern world.The country as a whole could notsustain the sudden flooding andinflow of erratic globalinformation and influence. Theoverall impact has been moreharmful than useful to our societyin general. The same could besaid about the relaxation of thecontrols in the economy to allowimports to flood our market witheverything with noconsiderations given to our localmanufacturers and growers. It isvery interesting to observe thatthese kinds of fully liberalizedpolicies are not implementedwithout any protection to localindustries and growers even incountries from where we haveborrowed them.

We as general citizens shouldrecognize the importance ofidentifying the evils andweaknesses in our society andmake a concerted effort tocontribute in whatever mannerwe could in order to improve andremove the roots and causesaffecting ourselves. It is ourutmost responsibility to direct,guide and advice our children tobe more responsible and dutifulcitizens by making a start athome itself. Give every supportand encouragement for them toget back in to the habits ofreading books on other subjectsother than what they study at theschool. As parents we have to beexemplary and advise ourchildren how they should mouldtheir l ife to be dutiful andrighteous in the society. Provideevery support and facility toengage your kids in extra-curricular activities. Theimportance of them involving indramas, literary activities, andalso sports should beemphasized. Engaging in sportswill enable them to experience

team work and interact witheach other, whilst facing victoryas well as defeat in life in thesame spirit.

The education curriculum hasto be so designed to cater tosuch needs of the society. Thisexercise may have to beextended to even the NurseryEducation prevailing in thecountry which I suspect couldbe an impediment to oursociety. Perhaps, designingand introducing new subjectsin to the curriculum will helpto inculcate patriotism anddutifulness in the minds ofyounger generation. It is veryimportant that the Sri Lankancitizens are unified andbrought under one nation tothink and react with nodivision in terms of cast, raceor religion. The temples andall religious places in thecountry have a moreresponsible role to play toinfluence and advice thechildren and the adults in theright direction. The unity andharmony among the multiethnic groups in the countrywill act as a valuable asset forachieving the prosperity of thenation in the future. The priorityand emphasis given atpresent for Sinhalese andTamil as a second languagefor all government servants isa very progressive step takenby the government to promoteand develop the mutualunderstanding between themulti-ethnic groups in thecountry. Strengthening ofEnglish Education at schoolsas an International Languageis also equally important tobridge any gaps prevailing inthe society in terms ofcommunication.

One more very important andcritical area which has to beaddressed in this respect isappointment of a PresidentialCommission to examine thecauses for these weaknessesand recommend to thegovernment as to whatactions taken in Educationand Multi-media to promoteand raise the youngergeneration to be moreresponsible, dutiful andpatriotic towards the society.This commission obviouslyhas to comprise of learnedrepresentatives from allreligions, educationists,sociologists and legislators.It is proposed that therecommendations whichcome out of this be carefullystudied and deliberated by thegovernment immediately andaction taken to implementwhatever steps that should betaken treating this as anational priority of the highestlevel.

It is a common view thatpoliticians in Sri Lanka set badexamples to the society. Mypersonal view is that weshould be blamed for electingwrong representatives to theParliament in the first place.Secondly, I think that once thesociety is reformed andrehabilitated to produce goodand dutiful citizens naturallywe would get a new breed ofrighteous and honestpoliticians too. For that, we allwill have to act together andbe patient for a dream nationto evolve.16th December 2011

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Sri Lanka Engineering News - January 2012IESL NEWS12

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