IWMI : About IWMI - People - Herath Manthrithilake

Herath Manthrithilake

Head, Sri Lanka Development Initiative

IWMI Headquarters - Sri Lanka

My experience in dealing with water related issues started as far back in 1973, as a Civil Engineering Student, I construction sites (irrigation schemes, hydro power stations, dams and reservoir) of former Soviet Republics - Moldavia, Ukraine, Tajikistan, Siberia and Georgia.

The Post Graduate research was on stochastic flow regimes of rivers (advanced hydrology), flow regulation, water resources management issues, economics, mathematical modelling and computer simulation for the management of river cascades and affiliated agricultural and electric power systems. I was the first Lecturer on Civil Engineering (1983) at the Open University of Sri Lanka (OUSL) and had to establish Civil Engineering courses in its Technology streams. I managed not only to start the courses but also to conduct the first examination and island wide surveying (practical) classes. The National Development Trust Fund -NDTF (for sometime Janasaviya Trust Fund - JTF) employed me (1990) as the Rural Infrastructure Development Expert. As one of the first three employees recruited for NDTF, I had to develop guidelines/procedures for rural infrastructure projects where communities were to get involved from project identification, designs and implementation and subsequent O & M of the same in a participatory manner. Those guidelines / procedures were used in all rural projects implemented by the NDTF. Within first 6 months of the JTF, I managed to initiate three rural development projects in Hanguranketha area. This was a World Bank funded part of the Poverty Alleviation Programme of the Sri Lankan Government at that time.

I worked for the Mahaweli Development Board (MDB) as a Project Engineer. After the Ph.D., I worked in the Water Management Secretariat of the Mahaweli Authority, as a Water Resources Engineer, modelling the reservoir and diversion system for the management of bulk water allocation between irrigation and hydropower generation along with the Canadian Consultants. These simulation studies involved development of Seasonal Operation Plans as well as weekly operational updating. Since, 1991, I work as the Director of Environment and Forest Conservation Division (EFCD), of the Mahaweli Authority and was responsible for the design and implementation of upper catchment conservation programme of the Authority. Under my guidance and supervision, a multidisciplinary group of experts worked on various technologies and activities. In this programme, many activities are being carried out through Government (Line) Agencies, NGOs, Rural community groups and large Private sector Companies. Several technologies, such as Sloping Agricultural Land Technology (SALT), introduced and promoted under this programme has attained highest levels of acceptance. New information technologies introduced under this programme like Geographic Information System (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) has risen to the top in the field in Sri Lanka. My team has covered a wide range of activities, including environmental education, sediment transport monitoring, mapping and land use planning, promoting conservation technologies, creating natural resource inventories and database development, etc. Our work has been acknowledged by national and international community awarding us with several prestigious awards. In order to sustain the capacities and equipment assembled at the EFCD, MASL has decided to establish a private company (Natural Resources management Services- NRMS) fully owned by the Authority and I was given the responsibility of establishing and managing this company. Within the first year of operations (1999 –2000), NRMS made a profit of over Rs. 3 million and had a business worth of 35 million signed agreements. From October 2000, my responsibilities in MASL were increased by appointing me as the Director in-charge of the Planning and Monitoring Unit (PMU) of the Mahaweli Authority, where I am tried to integrate Geo-spatial Planning Concepts into the Authorities work programmes. My main responsibility was planning and monitoring of the activities of Mahaweli Authority; development of proposals for donor funding; meeting all the reporting requirements of the Ministry and Treasury; reviewing advising the Director General and the Board of Directors on the affairs of the Authority, etc.

I’ve managed projects funded by Donors ODA/DFID of UK and GTZ of Germany and, were completed very successfully, becoming best projects in the south Asian portfolios of the respective donors.

While attached to the Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka, I continued teaching at Post Graduate Institutes of Peradeniya (PGIA and PGIS), Sri Jayawardena Pura and Moratuwa Universities. I run courses on Environment Impact Assessment and Watershed Management for the Post-Graduates. I serve as a member of the Board of study, Post Graduate Institute of Science of Peradeniya University, the Natural Resources Committee of the National Science Foundation, National Committee on Space Applications (GIS and RS) and Presidential Committee on Water Quality Management. I have participated in numerous national and international forums and have several published papers and presentations/communications. Also serve as a resource person (by invitation) in many national and international seminars and workshops held in Sri Lanka and abroad. I have been to many countries of Europe, Africa, and Asia including North America and Australia.

Email: h.manthri@cgiar.org