Moderating Urbanization and Managing Growth: How Can Colombo Prevent the Emerging Chaos?

This paper examines urbanization trends, the growth of Colombo and its present state of development. It looks at the approaches to the planned interventions in the city and demonstrates how a uni-directional urban development has had a detrimental impactColombo, urban development, managing urbanization, planning, housing,

Irrigation management research in Sri Lanka: A review of selected literature. Occasional paper. Occasional paper

Irrigation management / Research / Irrigation systems / Rehabilitation / Financing / Resource management / Policy / Farmer participation / Farmer-agency interactions / Sri Lanka

Flow characteristics of hydraulically fractured granite rocks under high temperature

Hydraulic fracturing technique, which is widely used to enhance the permeability of tight geological formations, has been employed to stimulate unconventional geothermal systems. However, these reservoirs are accompanied by high in-situ stresses and large geothermal gradients. Therefore, it is important to understand the hydraulic fracturing process and the respective permeability enhancement under extreme temperature and pressure conditions. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to understand the effect of flow performance of hydraulically fractured granite under high temperature and pressure conditions. A series of flow-through experiments were conducted on granite specimens which were hydraulically fractured under 60 MPa confining pressure and two temperature conditions: room temperature and 300 °C. Corresponding influence on rock microstructure was studied using high- resolution CT imaging with the IMBL facility of Australian Synchrotron. Based on the experimental results, it was found that one single fracture is induced at room temperature. However, a perforated zone with multiple inter-crystalline cracks is induced in the wellbore zone under the high-temperature fracturing process. Therefore, the measured permeability was almost one order higher in the sample hydraulically fractured under high temperature up to 20 MPa confining pressure. Further, it was identified that the fracture permeability and the fluid discharge were strongly stressed dependent

Experimental study of supercritical CO2 injected into water saturated medium rank coal by X-ray microCT

Carbon dioxide geosequestration into deep unmineable coal seams is a technique which can mitigate anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. However, coal composition is always complex, and some minerals such as calcite chemically react when exposed to the acidic environment (which is created by scCO2 mixing with formation water). These reactive transport processes are still poorly understood. We thus imaged a water-bearing heterogeneous coal (calcite rich) core before and after scCO2 injection in-situ at high resolutions (3.43 µm) in 3D via X-ray in-situ microCT flooding system. Indeed, the calcite-coal mixed layer was partially dissolved, and absolute porosity and connectivity significantly increased. We thus suggested that such process could be used as an acidizing method in CO2 ECBM. However, such dissolved damage also can significantly affect the rock mechanical properties and potentially induce geohazards

Proceedings of the National Conference on Water, Food Security and Climate Change in Sri Lanka, BMICH, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 9-11 June 2009. Vol. 2. Water quality, environment and climate change

This is the second volume of the proceedings of the National Conference on ‘Water for Food and Environment’, which was held from June 9 –11, 2009 at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH). The volumes 1 and 3 have been produced as separate documents of this report series. In response to a call for abstracts, 81 abstracts were received from government institutes dealing with water resources and agriculture development, universities, other freelance researchers and researchers from the International Water Management Institute (IWMI). Forty seven of the eighty-one abstracts that were submitted were accepted for compiling full papers. In the past couple of years the sharp increase in food prices worldwide has raised serious concerns about food security, especially in developing countries. To effectively address these concerns a holistic approach is required that encompasses improved agricultural water productivity, adaptation to climate change, targeted and appropriate institutional and financial measures, and a consideration of environmental issues. The main purpose of the conference was to share experiences in these areas and to find opportunities to improve farmers’ incomes and food production, and to promote environmentally sustainable practices in Sri Lanka in the face of growing water scarcity and the challenges of climate change.Wetlands, / Environmental flows / Assessment / Water allocation / Case studies / Rivers / Farming systems / Models / Groundwater / Aquifers / Domestic water / Rainfed farming / Climate change / Wastewater irrigation / Rice

THE IMPACT OF CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS ON SUSTAINABILITY OF SMALL AND MEDIUM SCALE ENTERPRISES

Small and medium enterprises are not only generating jobs and economic growth but also encouraging the process of innovation and transforming the Socio-economic nature in to better. 90% of entities in Sri Lanka belong to small and medium scale operation and it contributes nearly by 52% of Gross Domestic product. Entrepreneurs need to incorporate a set of strategies to prolong the entities in the market. Perception and application of critical success factors are significant in conserving the ventures in preventing short term failure. Perception of Critical success factors such as entrepreneurial, enterprise based, managerial, business support wise, capital and business environment factors on venture existence would vary from one venture to another since each entity is unique in functioning. The study examines the relationship between critical success factors and sustainability and also identifies the most crucial factors that need to be focused much in the contemporary society in sustaining the entity. Approximately 112 entities were sampled out of 1181 registered small and medium enterprises in Negombo division. Stratified random sampling was used through proportionated method. Confirmatory factor analysis, Chi square test, multiple regression analysis were used from inferential approach. Also central tendency along with illustrative tables are used from descriptive approach. The study reveals that entrepreneurial, managerial and business supportive factors highly influence the survival of business than the other factors. Adopting dynamic changes in the market and application of suitable assortment of critical success factors would prolong the entities in the long-run.Keywords: Critical Success Factors, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises, Sustainability, Entrepreneurs, Confirmatory Factor Analysi

Institutions, impact synergies and food security: a methodology with results from the Kala Oya Basin, Sri Lanka

Institutional development / Development plans / Development policy / Impact assessment / River basins / Food security / Models

Peradeniya\u27s Contribution to the Rewriting of the History of Sri Lanka

In the last 75 years, scholars at and alumni of Peradeniya have transformed the writing of the history of Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka has had a long and distinguished tradition of chronicles and histories. However, with the advent of colonial rule, with exceptions like the hatan kavyas, the writing of the history of Sri Lanka fell largely into the hands of the colonizers. Though the rewriting of history by Sri Lankans through the critical reading of sources began before 1942 as a response to the colonial depiction of local history, with the foundation of the University at Peradeniya there began a major efflorescence of writing on the Sri Lankan past. This occurred not in isolation but in the context of independence from the British in 1948, and the subsequent political and ethnic tensions within the country. This paper maps the progression of this scholarly endeavor, with an appeal to a continuation of the mission by the current generation of scholars at the institution