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SRI LANKA

Established 1906

ENGINEERING NEWS
The Newspaper of The Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka Vol. 50, No 04, July / August 2014
Registered at the GPO as a Newspaper No. QD/48/News/2014

IESL INDUCTION AND


GRADUATION 2014

A young enginieer receiving his Charter certificate from the Chief Guest,
Dr. S.M.M. Ismail and President - IESL Eng. Shavindranath Fernando

he annual Induction and Graduation ceremony of the Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka
(IESL) for the year 2014 was held at the BMICH on 22nd August, 2014 from 4.00 pm
onwards.
Dr. S.M.M. Ismail Vice Chancellor of the South Eastern University of Sri Lanka graced the
occasion as the Chief Guest while Professor Mohan Kumaraswamy Honorary Professor,
University of Hong Kong was the Guest of Honour for the occasion.. This years event
conferred Chartered Engineer status on 162 Associate Members of the institution, inducting
them into the fold of Corporate Members. Forty one students who successfully completed
the IESL Engineering Course also received their certificates.

PRESIDENTS CORNER
Dear Members,

n my last corner I told you about the IESL regarding the


international achievement that we got from the Washington Accord (WA) and the International Professional Engineers Agreement (IPEA). After that we had our Engineering
Excellence Awards Ceremonya couple of weeks ago and
even during that ceremony I had the honour to appreciate
and recognize the good work done especially by the Chairman of the Accreditation Board and I made it a point to give
away the Presidents Award to Prof. B L Tennakoon who
was the pioneer and infact the Chairman of the Accreditation Board which did a lot of work in our endeavor to obtain
the Washington accord. Again this month of August have
been quiet heavy on IESL. On 21st, a week ago, we also
had the Induction and Graduation ceremony where we inducted 162 Young Chartered Engineers as well as we graduated 41 students who were students of our Institution. As
you know the Institutions course has been there for about
40 years now. We started off with humble beginnings with a
2 part course. Later on it became a 3 part course, and now
as most of you may know we have established the IESL
College of Engineering which is a complete subsidiary of
the IESL where we have, at the moment, about 450 students during our weekend course.The course is structured
with 5 parts with multiple entry and multiple exit facility
Contd. on page 4....

Immediate Past President


of the IESL, Eng.Tilak De
Silvas portrait unveiled

The event also saw awards being presented to winners of several memorial awards for
various categories of engineers and final year undergraduates who obtained best marks for
industrial training. School children who excelled in the annual Junior Inventor of the Competition affiliated to the Sri Lanka Science and Engineering Fair and the Intel International
Science and Engineering Fair also received Scholarships.

AWARDS CEREMONY,
ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE
AWARDS 2014,
Held in Grand Style

ngineering Excellence Awards Ceremony for 2014 the premier event for rewarding
outstanding achievements by engineers, engineering enterprises and engineering journalists, organized by the apex professional body for engineering in the country, the Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka (IESL), was held at the Grand Ball Room of the Waters Edge on
Contd. on page 10....

he portrait of the Immediate Past President of the IESL,


Eng. Tilak De Silva, joined the portraits of all its past presidents adorning the hallowed walls of its Committee Room when
it was unveiled at a simple ceremony held at the IESL on Friday, 8th August, 2014. Past Presidents of the present era and
Council members attended the
The Institution of Engineers
event with. Eng. Tilak De Silva
Sri Lanka
himself being present.
120/15, Wijerama Mawatha
Eng. Tilak De Silva joined the
Colombo 7, Sri Lanka
IESL in 1992 and become a
Tel: 2685490,2698426, 2699210
Fellow in 1999 and served in
Fax: 2699202
the IESL Council for almost
E.mail:ed@sltnet.lk/
15yrs in various capacities iniesl@slt.lk
Website:http://www.iesl..lk
cluding 3 consecutive years as
Vice President before being
in this issue
elected as President Elect for
TH
108 ANNUAL SESSIONS
the 2011/2012 Sessions. His
PROGRAMME............. 2 and 3
tenure as President of the IESL
Editorial................................4
was during the 2012 / 2013
Ray Wijewardene
Sessions.
Contd. on page 10....

Memorial Lecture
2014 Held.............................5

Sri Lanka Engineering News - July / August 2014


2

IESL NEWS

108TH ANNUAL SESSIONS PROGRAMME


OCTOBER
10, 11 & 12
FRIDAY,
SATURDAY,
SUNDAY

TECHNO 2014
Exhibition
at
BMICH
FRIDAY
OCTOBER 10,
2014
Inauguration of
108th Annual
Sessions
at 9.00 a.m. at
BMICH Colombo

SATURDAY
OCTOBER 11,
2014
FEISCA Regional
Seminar
on
Innovative Technology for Excellence
in
Engineering
at 9.00 a.m.
at Mihilaka Medura,
BMICH - Colombo

SUNDAY
OCTOBER 12,
2014
Visit to
Upper Kotmale
Hydropower
Project
(Buses will leave
IESL at 6.00 a.m.)

TUESDAY - OCTOBER 14
to

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 15
Presentation of Technical Papers at IESL
TUESDAY
OCTOBER
14, 2014
SESSION I
Civil
Engineering Geotechnical
Engineering

10.20 10.40 a.m.


-Characteristics of
Vibration Induced by
Construction Activities
and its effect on Structural Response
By : Eng. W.A.M.
Wanniarachchi, Eng.
C.M. Welhena, Eng.
(Dr.) (Ms.) G.H.M.J.
Subashi De Silva and
Eng. (Dr.) G.S.Y. De
Silva

9.00 9.20 a.m.


-Shrinkage Effects on
the Tension
Stiffening Behaviour
and Cracking of
Reinforced Concrete
Tension Elements

10.40 11.00 a.m.


-Mineralogical Characterization of Clay
Deposits in
Embilipitiya Region to
Study the Presence of
Montmorillonite Nano
Particles

By: Eng. M.R. Niranga


and Eng. (Dr.) H.P.
Sooriyaarachchi

By : Eng. (Dr.) S.U.


Adikary, W.G.P.
Jayasinghe and W.R.M.

9.20 9.40 a.m.


-Applicability of the
Limit Equilibrium
Method and the
Finite Element
Method in Predicting
the Stability of Embankment Slopes

Soysa

By : Eng. T.H.K.
Nawarathna and Eng.
(Dr.) L.I.N. de Silva

Civil
Engineering Structural
Engineering and
Material Science
9.40 10.00 a.m.
-Design and Construction of Cement Stabilized Rammed Earth
walls for Single Storey
Housing
By : Eng. (Mrs.)
G.W.T.C. Kandamby
10.0010.20 a.m.
-Paragasthota Bridge
Failure
By : Eng. A. N.
Abeysuriya

11.00 11.20 a.m.


-Extraction of
Montmorillo
nite Nano Particles
from Naturally Occur
ring Clay Mixtures
By : Eng. D.D.
Wanasinghe
and Eng. (Dr.) S.U.
Adikary
11.20 11.40 a.m.
-Synthesis and Characterization of Chitosan /
Hydroxyapatite (70/30)
Nano-Composites
By : Eng. (Dr.) S.U.
Adikary
11.40 12.00 noon
-Investigation of the
Relationship between
the Quenched Layer
Depth and the Mechanical Properties of
TMT Steel
By : P.D.I.K.
Karunaratne, S.L.
Udawatta and Eng. S.P.
Guluwita

00.00 00.20 p.m.


-Performance of Mud
Houses and
Contentment in Sri
Lankan Context
By:Eng. (Ms.) A.W.L.H.
Ranasinghe and Eng.
(Dr.) R.U. Halwatura
00.20 00.40 p.m.
-Restoring Flexural
Performance of Damaged Timber Beams
Using GFRP Wrapping
By : Eng. (Dr.) K. S.
Wanniarachchi, Eng.
R.D.N.R. Wickramasena
and Eng. J.H.V.G.T.N.S.
Jayawardana

Civil Engineering
Water Resources
Engineering
00.40 01.00 p.m.
- GIS-Based Spatial
Assessment of Flood
Damages at Upper
GIN River Basin
By : S.P.S.P.
Kulathunga, Eng.
N.D.P. Ransara,
R.M.K.C. Rajapaksha
and Eng. (Dr.) G.H.A.C.
Silva
1.00 2.00 p.m.

Lunch break

TUESDAY
OCTOBER 14,
2014
SESSION - II
Civil Engineering
Transportation
Engineering
2.00 2.20 p.m.
-A Comparison of
Actual Transport
Demand at Modern
Supermarkets and
Supply Attributes
Stipulated in Sri
Lankan Regulations
By: Eng. (Dr.) Tissa U.
Liyanage and Eng.
Maheen T. Ranasinghe

2.20 2.40 p.m.


- Transport Sector
Emissions in Sri
Lanka: Emission
Levels by Vehicle
Type and Influence of
Fuel Price, Vehicle
Import Tax Variation
on Vehicle Fleet
By: Dr. G.G. Tushara
Chaminda, Eng. (Dr.)
(Ms.) Samarasekara,
R.M.P.I.U.
Rathnayake, E.M.N
Madushanka,
G.W.S.U. Surendra
Perera, A.W
Dissanayaka and S.
Wijayakeerthi
2.40 3.00 p.m.
-Modelling Pedestrian
Level of Service at
Pedestrian Walks
with Street-Vendors
and Beggars
By: Eng. (Dr.) T.M.
Rengarasu, Eng.
S.M.G.P.S.
Karunarathna, Eng.
L.G.K. Manula, and
Eng. (Ms.) M.L.
Subhashini
3.00 3.20 p.m.
-Effects of Age and
Clothing Types on
Pedestrian Crossing
Speed
By : Eng. (Dr.) T.M.
Rengarasu, Eng. (Ms.)
S.M.D. Kaushalya,
Eng. H.N. Jayawansa,
and Eng. P.W. Perera
3.20 3.40 p.m.
-Review of Some HSR
Norms through Work
Study
By : Eng. (Mrs.) S.N.
Malkanthi, G.V.A.C.D.
Perera and U.M.W.
Mahinda

Contd. on page 3....

Sri Lanka Engineering News - July / August 2014


IESL NEWS

Contd. from page 2...

108TH ANNUAL SESSIONS PROGRAMME

WEDNESDAY
OCTOBER 15,
2014
SESSION III
Chemical and
Process
Engineering
9.00 9.20 a.m.
-A Layout Planning
Framework for the
Food Processing Industry
By : Eng. W.N.C.
Wanniarachchi, Eng.
(Dr.) R.A.R.C. Gopura,
Eng. (Dr.) H.K.G.
Punchihewa
9.20 9.40 a.m.
-Effect of
Configuration of NonPorous Draft Tubes on
Drying Kinetics of
Black Pepper in a
Spouted Bed Dryer
By : Eng. (Ms.) G.K.
Jayatunga and Eng.
(Prof.) B.M.W.P.K.
Amarasinghe
9.40 10.00 a.m.
-Life Cycle Inventory
Analysis for Parboiled
Rice Production in Sri
Lanka
By : Eng. (Ms.) E.
Nadeeshani and Eng.
(Dr.) M.Y. Gunasekera
10.0010.20 a.m.
-Adsorption of Lead
Heavy Metal Ions by
Chitosan Biopolymer:
Kinetics and Equi
librium
By : Eng. J.M. Unagolla
and Eng. (Dr.) S.U.
Adikary
10.20 10.40 a.m.
-Safety and Emergency
Preparedness in Oil
and Gas industry:
Experience based on
North Sea offshore
Platforms
By : Eng. (Dr.) Deshai
Botheju, Eng. (Dr.)
Kumuduni Abeysinghe
and Eng. (Dr.) P G
Rathnasiri

10.40 11.00 a.m.


-Thermally and Corona
Aged Coconut and
Mineral Oil Impregnated Transformer
Solid Insulation
Assessed by FDS,
Tensile Strength and
Visual Observations
By : Eng. N W N J
Nanayakkara, Eng. W
M I B Naranpanawe,
Eng. (Prof.) M A R M
Fernando, J R S S
Kumara, Eng. (Dr.) C S
Kalpage and Dr. K R B
Herath

Environmental
Engineering
11.00 11.20 a.m.
-Selection of Suitable
Material for Final
Cover of an Engineered
Landfill in Dry Zone of
Sri Lanka
By : Ms. W.G.P. Kumari,
S.K.E. Sanjaya, Eng.
(Dr.) N.H. Priyankara,
Eng. (Dr.) A.M.N.
Alagiyawanna and
Prof. K. Kawamoto
11.20 11.40 a.m.
-Floristic Composition
of Roadside Vegetation
and Involvement of
landowners along
Road sides: ACase
Study
in Southern Sri Lanka
By : Eng. (Dr.) (Ms.)
Champika Ellawala,
Eng. (Dr.) (Ms.) G. N.
Samarasekara, D.D.
Samaraweera, B.M.G.N.
Balasooriya and .A.C.R.
Jayasekara
11.40 12.00 noon
-Up and Down- Flow
Anaerobic Filtersusing
firewood Charcoal,
Dewatered Alum
Sludge and Silica sand
for Landfill-Leachate
treatment
By : Eng. (Ms.) B.S.R
Nanayakkara, Eng.
(Dr.) (Ms.) W.K.C.N.
Dayanthi, V.P.H.S.
Vidanapathirana and
M.P. Siriwardana
00.00 00.20 p.m.
-Applicability of Waste
Matter as Reactive
Media in Permeable
Reactive Barriers
(PRBs) to Treat Landfill-Leachate Contaminated Groundwater

By : Eng. (Dr.) (Ms.)


W.K.C.N. Dayanthi,
A.M.C. Arthanayaka,
K.K.V.L. Asiri and
K.A.R. Malkanthi

2.40 3.00 p.m.


-Effect of Different
Aeration Levels on
Natural Rubber Latex
upon Maturation

00.20 00.40 p.m.


-Optimization of
Diary Waste Water
Treatment Process
using Combined
Experimental and
Mathematical Modelling Approach

By :Ms. L. K. S Roshanie
and Eng. (Dr.) S.
Walpalage

By : Eng. Achala
Godawita and Eng.
(Dr.) P. G. Rathnasiri
00.40 1.00 p.m.
-Evaluation of the Performance of a Sludge
Blanket Clarifier in
Water Treatment
By : Eng. (Ms.) W.K.
Illangasinghe,
Eng.
(Prof.)
Niranjanie
Ratnayake, Eng. (Dr.)
J.M.A Manatunge and
Dr. N. Jayasuriya
1.00 2.00 p.m. Lunch break

WEDNESDAY
OCTOBER
15, 2014
SESSION IV
Mechanical
Engineering
2.00 2.20 p.m.
-Analysis of a Boiler
Tube Failure due to
Long
Term
Overheating
and
Caustic Attack
By : Eng. (Dr.) K.E.D.
Sumanasiri
2.20 2.40 p.m.
-Effect of Activated
Carbon
on
the
Properties of Natural
Rubber Latex Foams
By : A.R.M. Rajakaruna,
Eng. (Dr.) S. Walpalage
and D.G.P.M.Perera

3.00 3.20 p.m.


-Effect of Blend Ratio
on Properties of
Naturalm Rubber/
Low Density Polyethyl
ene Blends
By : W.D.M. Sampath,
Eng. Dr.) (Mrs.) S.M.
Egodage and Dr. (Mrs.)
D.G. Edirisinghe

Electrical
&
Electronic
Engineering
3.20 3.40 p.m.
-Empirical Model
Tuning Exercise for
Radio Network
Planning Tools Used
by Mobile
Communication
Provider
By : Eng. C.A.
Wijesinghe
3.40 4.00 p.m.
-Investigation the use
of an Intelligent
Transformer for a VoltVar Control
By :Miss. R.R.L.L.
Wijayaratne, Dr. P.J.
Binduhewa,Eng. (Dr.)
S.G. Abeyratne and
Eng. (Prof.) J.B.
Ekanayake

4.40 5.00 p.m.


-Linear Prediction of
Wind Speed Variation
in a Wind Power Plant
in Sri Lanka
By : Eng. (Dr.) M.
Narayana, P.W.
Vidanage and
Eng. H.H.M.P.
Rathnayake
5.00 5.20 p.m.
-Integrated Solution
for Future Transporta
tion and Power Sys
tems through Solar
Plant with Energy
Storage
By : Eng. S.
Thananjeyan,
Eng. S.Arunan, Eng.
(Dr.) T. Thiruvaran,
Eng. (Dr.) A.
Atputharajah and
Eng. (Dr.) V.K.
Ramachandaramurthy

FRIDAY
OCTOBER
17, 2014
Presentation of
Papers by
Young Members
from 9.00 a.m. at
IESL

SATURDAY
OCTOBER 18,
2014

4.00 4.20 p.m.


-Delay Distribution of
Responses within a
Home Area Network
using Wi-Fi with inNetwork Data
Aggregation
By : Eng. N.S.
Weerakoon, Eng.
M.A.M. Manaz and
Eng. (Prof.) K.M.
Liyanage

Annual General
Meeting
at 9.00 a.m.
at
BMICH
Committee Room
A

4.20 4.40 p.m.


-Comparative
Evaluation of Form
Wound Stator
Insulation
Methodologies Prior
and after
Rehabilitation of Old
Laxapana
By : Eng. N.C.
Manamperi, Eng. G.A.
Jayantha and Eng.
(Prof.) J.P. Karunadasa

SUNDAY
NOVEMBER
02, 2014
Techno
Awards Ceremony
at 7.00 p.m.
at
Hotel Galadari

Sri Lanka Engineering News - July / August 2014


4

IESL NEWS

Sri Lanka
Engineering News

Year of
Professional
Excellence

his would be the last SLEN before the AGM


to be held in October. President/IESL declared the year as the Year of Professional Excellence and we have achieved a greater success, notably the greatest achievement was being a signatory country of the Washington Accord.
Further, with this editorial, I am completing two
years in the office as the editor/SLEN.
As you all know we have tried different means to
get our members be active with IESL, though not
successful sometimes. We have witnessed that
the attendance in a lot of activities have grown
exponentially, especially in some memorial lectures and some other outbound activities. Still I
am not so impressed with the attendance for the
Annual Sessions. This year we are trying several
new ways such as pre-registration, nominations
of members by their respective institutions, circulating the programme at glance quite early to
plan their schedule etc. I sincerely hope that this
could encourage the young engineers to attend
the annual sessions and we all should treat the
annual session as the forum to share our findings,
new thoughts with the fellow engineers. By attending and actively participating, we all will encourage the engineers who have some intention to
do novel things. I urge the engineers to take this
as positive and attend in numbers. Glance
programme will be very handy and you can optimize your visit to Colombo if you are travelling
form other provinces. Meanwhile, it is the moral
obligation of the senior engineers to release their
junior engineers during the annual sessions. Many
countries consider this as a time of reunion and it
is not rare to see more than a thousand engineers
attending their annual sessions.
I thank you for your active participation during the
year and your feedback has been very fruitful. We
always do respect your ideas for improvement
and please remember that we have reserved a
section called write to the editor. Month of October will be with full of activities and your participation in all these would be an immense encouragement to those who voluntarily sacrifice their
time for the benefit of engineering profession in
the country.
Eng. (Dr) Udeni P. Nawagamuwa
nawagamuwa@gmail.com

Confusion about local


engineering degrees awarded
prior to ( IESL ) becoming a full
member of the Washington
Accord Agreement
Dear Editor,
here is some confusion among graduates with engineering degrees (from Sri Lanka) of
past about the accreditation validity of their own degrees. I think very clear answers are
provided by the International Engineering Alliance which administers the Washington Accord
and many other international engineering agreements to improve the engineering profession
through advanced benchmarking of accreditation processes and promoting increased mobility among professionals.

Digital SLEN is the ideal tool to eliminate this confusion.


Please go to the website of International Engineering Alliance (IEA) which administers
Washington Accord as well. You will get clear answers that are up to date.
http://www.ieagreements.org/Washington-Accord/FAQ.cfm
Also read the specifics related to IESL becoming a full accreditation body on June 13,
2014.
http://www.ieagreements.org/Washington-Accord/
However, IESL was provisionally accepted as an accreditation body around 2008. IESL has
accredited our 4 year engineering degrees before obtaining the full membership. Not all
degree programs in Sri Lankan universities were accredited during that time. Nor are the
IESL accredited degrees under the provisional membership status recognized by the Washington Accord Agreement. See the list:
http://www.iesl.lk/page-1823075
From June 13, 2014 IESL has powers to accredit four year ( not less years or post graduate)
engineering degrees ( not universities but their specific degree programs) for another 6 years.
Before the end of that period IESL must renew its membership through a review. In fact,
currently IESL accreditation process is being reviewed every six months since it is newly
enrolled to the full membership to ensure IESL adheres to the governing procedures. All the
more reasons for getting our act together at the IESL Secretariat and the IESL Accreditation
Committee. We have work to do!
I am a member of the IESL Professional Affairs Committee ( 2012/2013 and 2013/2014
sessions) which is the standing committee appointed as per By Laws by the Council to look
into professional affairs in general including international agreements such as the Washington Accord.

Eng. Arjuna Manamperi


M-2062
Contd. from page 1...

PRESIDENTS CORNER....

where we have Certificate Level 1 and 2, then Diploma Level 1 and 2 and the Graduate
Diploma which will be equivalent to the degree. On the other hand the efforts of the IESL,
specially in this Year of Professional Excellence, have been very well recognized by the
University Grants Commission (UGC) and I am a member of the Engineering Sub Committee of the UGC and they have requested the IESL to assist them in identifying the
various engineering courses that have to be taught in this country. There have been lots
of applications to the UGC to start various engineering courses. There are two aspects to
this. While the country and the economy needs a large number of engineer we have to be
cautious on two matters.Firstly, the quality of the engineering education that will be
dished out by the new entrance. Secondly the consequences their students may face
when they go to the field whether they have done the right course or not. These aspects
we will be studied at the moment on a survey launch by the IESL both with the industry
and the universities to find out what are the thrust areas of what we teach in the universities and secondly the facilities we have in the engineering faculties to launch these
programmes right now.
So, these are the activities the IESL is currently engaged in and this shows our recognition in the country. We also have had discussions about the Engineering Council Act
which I am sure most of you must be very keen to know. We met several Ministers and it
is our hope that our Council Act will be presented to the Parliament shortly so that our
long felt dream of achieving the milestone of making the Engineering Act law will be a
reality soon. This is my expectation and hope. So with all these things my initial hope
that this year will be a Year of Professional Excellence is bearing fruit now and I am
extremely happy with the progress we are making in this endeavor.My term isdrawing to
a close in a couple of months and when I will be handing over to the President Elect,
Eng. S B Wijekoon I will be able to handover an Institution which has stood up to my
ideals and an Intuition comprised of engineers with engineering excellence. So I wish you
the very best in your endeavor
Thank you

Sri Lanka Engineering News - July / August 2014


IESL NEWS

Appreciation
Former President
IESL:
Eng. (Dr.) Dharmasiri
De Alwis

11th Installa
tion Cer
emon
y
Installation
Ceremon
emony
of IESL Toastmaster
s Club
oastmasters
2014/ 2015

by : Eng. (Prof.) Kolita Weerasekera


FIE(SL), CEng, Int.PEng(SL)
It is with great sadness that
we announce the passing
away of Eng. (Dr.)
Dharmasiri De Alwis on 4th
July 2014. I have known
Eng. De Alwis over three
decades starting from the
days when he was a dynamic young engineer at
Mahaweli Development
Board way back in early
1980s up to his demise in
July 2014. He was my first
boss at Welikanda Assistant General Manager
(Construction)s office in 1981 and later my faculty board
colleague until his last days. He was an elected member in
the Faculty Board of the Faculty of Engineering Technology
at The Open University of Sri Lanka continuously from 2004
up to his demise in July 2014. He was indeed an engineer of
a high caliber with a perfect record of honesty which is quite
rare to find these days.
Eng. De Alwis was born in 1945 and had his secondary
education at Ananda College, Colombo. At college he excelled in cadetting, basketball and badminton. He entered
the Faculty of Engineering, University of Ceylon in 1965 and
graduated in civil engineering in 1970. Eng. De Alwis commenced his professional career as a civil engineer in the
Mahaweli Development Board (MDB) at Polgolla Diversion
Unit, which was the first project implemented under the gigantic Mahaweli Ganga Development Scheme (MGDS). He
served as a project engineer on Polgolla Diversion Unit up to
1973. After obtaining the London Charter in 1974 and later in
1976 he became a member of the Institution of Engineers,
Sri Lanka. He then served as a senior design engineer involved in development of irrigation systems in the maiden
development area Mahaweli System H (Kala Oya basin). In
1977 he was promoted to the rank of chief engineer (Water
Management) to be responsible for bulk allocation of
Mahaweli waters to large reservoirs in the dry zone facilitating double cropping. Subsequently he became the first Secretary to the Water Management Panel, which was constituted by the Minister in Charge of the subject of MGDS. In
1978 he was promoted as the Resident Project Manager
(RPM) for Mahaweli System H. It was during his tenure
that the infrastructure and the settlers themselves were under threat, when the cyclone struck the area in November
1978, where under his leadership had to grant relief measures to the settlers, while repairing and restoring the damaged infrastructure. The building of the Galnewa Township
in 1978 was a milestone in his career. In 1979 he functioned
as the Asst. General Manager (Construction) for part of System H and the Bowatenna Diversion Project.
In January 1980 he was appointed as the Asst. General
Manager (Construction) of Mahaweli System B or the
Maduru Oya Project, where he served up to February 1983.
This is the time I started to work under him as a civil engineer fresh from the university. During this period he implemented the concept of re-use of irrigation water by constructing minor reservoirs across secondary and tertiatiary drainages. With the adoption of this concept, during the operation of the irrigation system, the flexibility of the total system was enhanced, while storing water for the use of settlers and animals during canal closure and drought. At the
beginning the settlers could be inducted into the homesteads
and promote cultivation, long before the Maduru Oya reservoir was constructed.
In 1983 he was promoted to the post of Deputy General
Manager (Construction) and this position was held by him
Contd. on page 10...

The Toastmasters Club of Institution of Engineers, Sri


Lanka (IESL) held its 11th Installation and Induction Ceremony at the IESL
Wimalasurendra Auditorium
on 29th June 2014. The Chief
Guest Eng. Shavindranath
Fernando (President of
IESL), Guest of Honour District Governor, DTM Yusuf
Jeevanjee, Maj. Douglas
Wijesinghe (Mentor of IESL
Toastmasters Club), M Z
Saleem DTM, Past Presidents, distinguished guests
including eminent Toastmasters from other clubs graced
the occasion.
Since 2004, the IESL Toastmasters Club has provided a
mutually supportive and positive learning environment for
its members in public speaking and leadership development, a need in todays challenging environment. The
club is affiliated to the Toastmasters International (TMI)
based in California which is
in operation since 1921. TMI
is a non-profit making educational organisation.
IESL Toastmasters Club is
the 5th club established in
Sri Lanka out of 92 clubs operating today. The club is
made up of more than 40
members who meet once a
fortnight for two hours. Each
meeting provides the participants an opportunity to practice public speaking by giving impromptu speeches, prepared speeches, and the
chance to offer constructive
evaluations. Anybody, from
an experienced professional
to beginner can gain immense benefit from these
practical, face-to-face learning programs which ranges
from high level business
meetings to day to day common public speaking.
The Chief Guest, Eng.
Shavindranath Fernando, as

the President of IESL, expressed the importance of effective communication within


all levels of organisations
sighting his own experience.
Only technical skills and
knowledge will not help you
excel in your careers. Soft
skills such as inter-personal
skills and public speaking &
presentation skills will give
you the added impetus to
move you forward.

TM Manjula Samarasighe,
the newly elected president
of the club while addressing
the gathering explained that
he would like to drive the club
with two mottos. That is
Commitment
and
Self.Development. He explained that Commitment

is equally important as skills,


knowledge and experience in
order to achieve excellence.

Contd. on page 11...

Sri Lanka Engineering News - July / August 2014


6

IESL NEWS

Ray Wijewardene Memorial


Lecture 2014 Held

Holcim Inter
University
Concrete Mix
Design
Competition

he Ray Wijewardene Memorial Lecture 2014 was held on, Thursday, 31st July, 2013 at

the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute Auditorium. This years memorial lecture on Extrater-

restrial Life and The Future Trajectory of Humanity was delivered by Prof. Chandra
Wicremasinghe, one of the worlds leading featured on BBC, Discovery and History channels and National Geographic; A pioneer of the
emerging science of Astrobiology and advocate of
Panspermia the hypoth-

- Holcim Concludes Competition at University Level

esis that life exists throughout the Universe lectures


on Red Rain and a swathe
of new discoveries heralding
a major paradigm shift in
science. The lecture was
delivered as has been the
case with previous years
Ray Wijewardene Memorial
Lectures to a full house. It
was organized by the Ray
Wijewardene Charitable
Trust in collaboration with
the Institution of Engineers,
Sri Lanka

DESIGN COURSES & OTHER


TECHNICAL COURSES
DESIGN COURSES
1.

Single story and two storied houses based on BS 8110, BS


5628 and BS 5268 for suitable and unsuitable soil conditions.

2.

Reclamation of marshy lands to accommodate for housing


and industrial projects based on ICTAD publications with
necessary specifications.

OTHER COURSES
1. Preparation of bid document for civil work tenders.
2. Bid evaluation process based on technical and financial marking
scheme or contractors evaluation process.
a) Commencement of courses : 2nd week of October 2014
b) Course suited for : Practicing Engineers
c) Venue : In Colombo
For registration please contact :
Tel : 0777666149, 0114934266
E-mail : vkbengineering@gmail.com

urthering its vision of building foundations for Sri Lankas


future, premier cement production company Holcim
(Lanka) Ltd recently partnered with the University of
Peradeniya, Moratuwa and Ruhuna to conduct an innovative
Concrete Mix Design Competition for the Universitys Final
Year Civil Engineering students.
The objective of the competition was to impart practical and
theoretical knowledge in the specialized area of concrete mix
design, providing students with valuable exposure to working
with concrete as well as encouraging them to work in teams.
The competition at the University of Peradeniya was held during the period February to April 2014 and the competition at
the University of Moratuwa and Ruhuna during May to July
2014. The competition was conducted by Holcim (Lanka) Ltd
and the Universitys Civil Engineering Societies and commenced with a workshop on concrete mix design, including
the practical application of mix design. While imparting skills,
knowledge and training,the programme also sought to encourage personal and professional development, focusing on improving communication, leadership and teamwork.
Student groups whose proposals were selected by the University Civil Engineering Societies participated in the competition, which consisted of casting concrete cubes and performing slump tests in the presence of the representatives
from the Department of Civil Engineering and Holcim (Lanka)
Ltd. The enthusiasm and the active participation of the students during the competition clearly indicated that it was valued by them.
The cubes were tested for 28th day strength and the top 5
teams from each university were awarded a 2 day outward
bound training programme sponsored by Holcim (Lanka) Ltd.
Contd. on page 10...

Sri Lanka Engineering News - July / August 2014


IESL NEWS

ELECTIONS TO COUNCIL FOR THE SESSION 2014/2015


The following were the Returning Officers for the elections
for the Session 2014/2015:
Eng. Priyal De Silva - Chief Returning Officer
Eng. D C S Elakanda Assistant Returning Officer
Eng. M G Hemachandra - Assistant Returning Officer
Eng. Madhawa Perera Assistant Returning Officer

The Results are as follows:-

(1) Post of President-Elect


Vacancies
01

Eng. S B Wijekoon will be the President for the Session


2014/2015, having been elected as President-Elect at the
elections held for the Session 2013/2014.
The notice calling nominations for all posts to be vacant in
the Council for the Session 2014/2015 was issued on June
2, 2014 with the deadline for receiving nominations set at
4.00 p.m. on June 23, 2014.

01

- Eng. Tilak De Silva

Vice Presidents

- Eng. J Meegoda
Eng. R G Rubasinghe

01

President-Elect

01

Chairman Civil .Eng. Sect. Committee Eng. P C Jinasena

The following three (3) Fellows representing Class of Fellows will continue in the Council till the end of their term of
office:
1. Eng. (Prof.) S B S Abayakoon
2. Eng. D C S Elakanda
3. Eng. (Dr.) L B K Laksiri
The following five (5) Members representing the Class of
Members will continue in the Council till the end of their
terms of office.
1. Eng. P Thangamayil
2. Eng. H M U Seneviratne
3. Eng. (Dr.) U L Tissa
4. Eng. K S M Silva
5. Eng. M G Hemachandra
The Election was held for the following posts.

President-Elect
Honorary Secretary
Honorary Treasurer
Chairman, Mechanical Engineering Sectional Committee
Representatives Fellows
Representatives Members
Voting for Elections to the Council 2014/2015 closed on
August 28, 2014 at 4.00 p.m. The Ballot Box was opened at
9.00 a.m. on August 29, 2014 and the counting commenced
immediately thereafter.
Total No. of Ballot Papers received
Invalid Ballot Papers - 18
Total No. of Valid Ballot Papers - 1223

- 1241

Eng. Wimalasena Gamage 556


Eng. E W Karunaratna
80
Eng. Prof.(Mrs.) Niranjanie 511
Ratnayake

(1) Post of Honorary Secretary


Honorary Secretary Eng. Granie R Jayalath
719

Honorary
Treasurer

Remarks
Elected

Elected

297

(1) Post of Honorary Treasurer


Eng. A P Ranjith De Silva
639
Eng. P C C Perera
339

Chairman
-Mechanical
Engineering
Sectional
Committee

Elected

Eng. P Kalubowila
Eng. Arjuna Manamperi

383
616

Elected

(3) Posts of Representatives Fellows


03

Representatives
- Fellows

No valid nominations were received for the following posts:


Chairman, Agricultural and Plantations Engineering Sectional
Committee
Chairman, Chemical & Process Engineering Sectional Committee
Chairman, Electrical and Electronics Engineering Sectional
Committee

Votes

(1)Post of Chairman- Mechanical Engineering Sectional Committee

Chairman Building Services Eng. Sect. Committee


- Eng. S S Gunawardana

Chairman IT & Comm. Eng. Sect. Committee Eng. S A Samarakoon

Candidates

Eng. Saliya Kaluarachchi

The following were elected uncontested:


Past President

Post

05

Eng. Dharmapala K P I U
Eng. (Dr.) Ajith Dolage
Eng.(Prof.) T M Pallewatta
Eng. Udeni Wickramaratne

619
663
752
596

(5) Posts of Representatives Members


Representatives Eng. P A Samira Anuradha
- Members
(Under-40)
Eng. Jaliya Bandara
(Under 40)
Eng. Jayatilaka N P
Eng.(Dr.) U P Nawagamuwa
Eng. Mahesh Samarawickrama
Eng. S A P C Siriwardana
Eng.(Major) Nishsanka
Wasalabandara
Eng. (Dr.) Sanjeewa
Wickramaratne (Under-40)
Eng. M D S Wijayabandara

Elected
Elected
Elected

413

Elected

450

Elected

422
675
320
322
462

Elected

425

Elected

589

Elected

Summary
Members elected to the Council for the Session 2014/2015
1. Eng. W Gamage has been elected as the President-Elect.
2. Eng. Granie Jayalath has been elected as the Honorary Secretary.
3. Eng. A P R de Silva has been elected as the Honorary Treasurer.
4. Eng. Arjuna Manamperi has been elected as the Chairman, Mechanical Engineering Sectional Committee.
5. Eng. K P I U Dharmapala, Eng. (Dr.) Ajith Dolage and Eng.(Prof.) T M Pallewatta have
been elected to the Council for the Session 2014/2015 as the Representatives Fellows.
6. Eng.(Dr.) U P Nawagamuwa and Eng. M D S Wijayabandara have been elected as the
Representatives-Members above 40 years of age.
Eng. P A Samira Anuradha, Eng. Jaliya Bandara and Eng. (Dr.) Sanjeewa Wickramaratne
have been elected to the Council for the Session 2014/2015 as the Representatives-Members under 40 years of age.
7. The following vacancies in the Council will have to be filled by the Council for the
Session 2014/2015:

Vice President
Chairman, Agricultural and Plantations Engineering Sectional Committee
Chairman, Chemical & Process Engineering Sectional Committee
Chairman, Electrical and Electronics Engineering Sectional Committee
Eng. Priyal De Silva
Chief Returning Officer

Sri Lanka Engineering News - July / August 2014


8

IESL NEWS

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Sri Lanka Engineering News - July / August 2014


IESL NEWS

Car Stereos
&
Smartphones
by Eng. Tharindu Weerasinghe
[MSc.Eng, BSc.Eng(Hons), C|EH, MIEEE, AMIESL]
Many of us are drivers. We drive daily from home to office
and vise-verse. We go on trips during our vacations or holidays; then we ought to drive long distances. Anyway these
days, especially in Sri Lanka one of the main causes of road
accidents is using mobile phones while driving. If you are a
frequent driver and your vehicle has a modern stereo system, then you can use your mobile phone while driving!!!
Well, it is pretty good that you dont have obstacles that
distract you while driving; but if you need to keep on driving
while you are in a conversation with the party on the other
side of the phone then the modern car stereos (which has
Bluetooth facility) might be great advantage. Nevertheless,
you may think, having a Bluetooth Headset might be useful
as well but if you have a stereo system that supports
Bluetooth connection then you can do activities beyond phone
a call. After connecting your mobile phone to the stereo via
Bluetooth, you can keep the phone aside and operate it via
the stereo interface. You can navigate through your phone
contact lists, you can dial numbers and also you can play
media files via the stereos console. I tend to use that facility
because its not a burden for my driving especially when I
need to answer an important phone call. Anyway please make
sure that you setup the phone and stereo before you start
driving. If you can fully omit using mobile phones while driving (even with this technology) it is pretty handy.
However I thought its worth exploring the technology behind
these modern car-stereos. I know some of you might already use this feature, but it is good that you are aware of
the technological background of it.
Modern car-stereo connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth
(of course your mobile phone must have Bluetooth technology) and it can control your phone. It is dangerous to pay
your attention to your stereo while driving; but once you have
completed all the settings (inorder to keep the phone aside)
you can make a move while
answering the call you received.
Bluetooth:
Bluetooth is a technology
used to connect digital devices which are in short range.
It is a wireless protocol which
is being used by devices
which has Bluetooth ports. All
modern mobile phones have
this facility. It is invented in 1994 by Ericsson. [1] Bluetooth
operates in short range radio frequency band. Bluetooth comprises protocols in the likes of cable replacement protocol,
telephony control protocol, and adopted protocol. Among the
mandatory protocols we find, the one used to set-up and
control radio link between two devices as well as the one
used for audio/video remote control. [1]
What are the common applications of Bluetooth technology?

As you might already know, there are Bluetooth


headsets that you can use with your mobile phone. By using
Contd. on page 10....

Cloud Computing Security


Challenges
by Kushan Sharma
Engineering Manager IT Security Services
Introduction
Enterprises continuously seek innovative approaches to reduce operational computing costs
while getting the most from their resources. Recent developments in Cloud Computing technology play a major role in helping organizations to reduce the operational cost. It is a model
for enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be
rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction. Figure 1 presents an overview of the NIST Cloud Computing reference architecture [1],
which identifies the major actors, their activities and functions in Cloud Computing.

IT experts have classified


Cloud Computing vendors
into three broad categories
based on the fundamental
nature of the Cloud-based
solution they provide:
1. Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS),
2. Platform-as-a-Service
(PaaS) and
3. Software-as-a-Service
(SaaS).
The main difference between these service models lies in how responsibilities are divided between
Cloud Service Provider
(CSP) and Cloud Consumer. For example, In Iaa
S offering, the Cloud con
sumer has extensive control over his servers and the
installed operating systems
and applications; the
virtualization infrastructure
and at least parts of the network infrastructure. With
SaaS, in contrast, the
Cloud consumer usually
controls only certain configuration parameters of the
contracted service the application and all underlying
infrastructure is under control of the CSP. PaaS lies
between these two extremes in that the customer
controls the application as
a whole (including the
code), while the CSP controls the runtime environment and supporting infrastructure.
Towards Cloud Security
The new paradigm of Cloud

Computing possesses severe


security risks to its adopters
due to the distributed nature
of Cloud Computing environments which make them a
rich target for malicious individuals. Cloud resides with an
entirely virtual infrastructure
which is, invisible to the user
[5, 10]. This inherent abstraction ensures that an application or business service is not
directly tied to the underlying
hardware infrastructure such
as servers, storage or networks. This allows business
services to move dynamically
across virtualized infrastructure resources in a very efficient manner. However the
virtualization techniques used
in Cloud possess numerous
security threats and attacks.
A fully or partially shared
Cloud environment is expected to have a greater attack surface and therefore
can be considered to be at
greater risk than a dedicated
resources environment [13].
Cloud Instances (CIs) are vulnerable as they move between the private Cloud and
the public Cloud. Moreover
the easiness of cloning virtual
machines instance leads to
propagation of security vulnerabilities and configuration errors. In addition to this, the
co-location of multiple CIs increases the attack surface
and risk of CI to another instance compromise [13].
Cloud Consumers runs numerous applications/scripts
in order to complete their

computing tasks. Most of


them are too complex and
complicated to trust. Even
with access to the source
code, it is difficult to reason
about the security of these applications. They might harbor
malicious code such as computer viruses, worms, bots,
Trojan horses and spyware or
contain bugs that are exploitable by carefully crafted input.
It is essential that instead of
just relying on conventional
defense techniques, the next
generation of system software
must be designed from the
ground-up to provide stronger
isolation of services running
on computer systems.
Existing Security Threats &
Attacks
VM Escaping & VM Monitoring
Cloud infrastructure is benefited with co-location of multiple CIs. This benefit, if not
carefully deployed, become a
threat to the environment.
Moreover current virtual machine monitors (VMMs) do not
offer perfect solution for VM instance monitoring. Many security vulnerabilities, which an
attacker can exploit, have
been discovered in all popular
VMMs [5]. In ideal world administrator and users of
virtualization expect the 100%
isolation of VM instances.

Contd. on page 11...

Sri Lanka Engineering News - July / August 2014


10

IESL NEWS

Contd. from page 1....

AWARDS CEREMONY, ....

Engineers, Sri Lanka (IESL), was held at the Grand Ball Room
of the Waters Edge on Friday, 15th August, 2014 from 6.00 pm
onwards. Hon. Prof. Tissa Vitharana, Senior Minister for Scientific Affairs graced the occasion as the Chief Guest while Hon.
Faizer Mustapha, Deputy Minister for Investment Promotion was
the Guest of Honor. The most prestigious Eminence in Engineering Award was awarded to Prof. Mohan Munasinghe who
was the Vice Chair of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC-AR4) that shared the 2007 Nobel Prize for
Peace, the firstever Sri Lankan to be associated with the great
honour. The Excellence in Engineering Awards for Individuals
went to Eng. Ranjith Jayakumara Gunawardana (Electrical
and Electronic Engineering) and Eng. Liyanarachchige
Parakrama Jayasinghe (Mechanical Engineering) in their respective sectors.
The winners in the different award categories were as follows:
Eminence in Engineering Award
Prof.Mohan Munasinghe
Excellence in Engineering Awards for Individuals
Eng. Ranjith Jayakumara Gunawardana (Electrical and Electronic Engineering)
Eng. Liyanarachchige Parakrama Jayasinghe (Mechanical Engineering)
Engineering Entrepreneur Award
Eng. Lalith Kahatapitiya
Eng. Manulal Nandana Jayaruwan Edirisinghe ( Merit Award )
Eng. Daya Hettiarachchi ( Merit Award )

Contd. from page 9...

Car Stereos....

the Bluetooth headset you are able to talk without your phone in hand, in a specific range.

You can connect your mobile phone to another phone or a computer using Bluetooth.
Modern car stereo systems have the facility to connect to your mobile phone and it will
make your life so easy while you are driving.

In this article I focus on the technology behind these car stereos that help us to use
mobile phones.
Bluetooth has many profiles that help us to use it for various functions. For example if you
consider streaming audio/video data from one device to other, then there is a specific
Bluetooth profile for that, namely, Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP). To make
use of these profiles, both devices must have Bluetooth version that supports the specific
profile. Now, A2DP is essential to transfer audio data from your phone to the stereo;
means that its a basic profile in the modern car stereos Bluetooth. There is another
protocol, Hands-free Profile (HFP) which allows car hands-free kits to connect with the
mobile phones in the car. Phone Book Access Profile (PBAP, PBA) allows you to synchronize your phones contact list with the stereo. Likewise there are many Bluetooth
profiles (set of technological enhancements of Bluetooth) that you can use for different
purposes. [2]
If you have one of these new car stereo setups in your car, then go to its menu option and
select mobile phone to connect to your mobile phone. (This is of course if you have not
used this feature earlier). Make sure you have switched on phones Bluetooth. If you have
paired the two devices then the next time you bring these two devices closer enough to be
connected, they will connect automatically [3]. These enhancements in the Bluetooth
technology are very attractive so the modern day users are attached to them. You can
read the technical specifications of a profile online, if you are interested.
References:
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluetooth
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluetooth_profile
[3] http://www.cnet.com/news/car-techs-guide-to-using-your-android-phone-in-the-car/

Award for Excellence in Engineering Journalism


Mr. Nihal P Abeysinghe (Associated Newspapers Ceylon Ltd.)

The writer is a software developer at an Australian Company.

Chartered Engineer Awards


Eng. Prabodha Chithralal Jinasena (Civil Engineering)

8 jeks msgqfjka''''

Social Responsibilities and Environment Award


Not Awarded
Engineering Heritage Award
Not Awarded
Outstanding Engineering Education Award
Not Awarded
Presidents Award
Eng. (Prof.) B.L. Tennekoon
Special Award
Eng. Tilak De Silva
Excellence in Engineering Awards for Organizations
Manufacturing (Large)
M/s Orel Corporation (Pvt.) Ltd.
Construction (Large)
M/s Tudawe Brothers (Pvt.) Ltd.
Construction (Medium)
Not Awarded
Engineering - Services
M/s Mobitel (Pvt.) Ltd.
Engineering Consultancy Services
M/s Central Engineering Consultancy Bureau
Contd. from page 6...
Holcim Inter University....
The top 05 winning teams from the 03 Universities will compete
in the Inter University Concrete Mix Design Competition which
will be held jointly by Holcim (Lanka) Ltd and Institute of Engineers Sri Lanka (IESL) Young Members Section. The competition guidelines will be communicated during the month of August and selection of the top 03 teams will be held in October
2014.
About Holcim (Lanka) Ltd
Holcim Lanka is the local subsidiary of the global construction
company Holcim. The company focuses on economic, social
and environmental performance along the triple bottom line of
sustainable development. The company currently operates a
fully integrated cement plant in Puttalam and a grinding plant in
Galle, with expansion projects taking place throughout the country. Having established the brand in Sri Lanka, Holcim Lanka
today provides a range of cement products while also providing
materials for major construction projects in the country. The
provision of technical expertise through the Holcim Innovation
and Application Centre allows customers to tailor the mix of
cement most suitable for their needs, thereby delivering greater
efficiencies and improved results.

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iys; jrh u.ska myiqug ixhql;
a mrsm:fha iul indOkh(Impedance) l=vdw.hla .ekSu
fya;=fjhs' indOkh wvq mrsm:h yryd blaukska ickh ug we;s fm<Uu ksid;a Yd,
wdfrdamk m%udKhla oshuka;sfha ;djld,slj .nvdlr.; yelsksid;a fuu kHdih ia:qmh yd
wjg m%foaYh wl=Kqj,ska wdrlaIdlsrSu i|yd iqiq ;u wl=Kqikakdhl kHdih nj uf.a
yeSuhs' ;yjqre lsrS i|yd mfhaIK wjYH hyelsh'
oshuka;s ohQ;a jYfhka mrsjdrl jk neka o jrh u; th Odrs;%lhla f,i i l<yels
neka o fuu moaO;sh yd uQ,dY% fldmuK rlg .e<fmkafkao hkj. fidhdne,Su kdka;
hehs is;' kuq;a ks,a oshuka;s j, fndafrdaka wxY=ud;% jYfhka mj;sk ksid tajd wO ikakdhl
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fyda oshuka;s$ms;a;, kHdih iqmsrs OdrS;%lj,(Super Condensers) ,dlaIKsl fyda wdikak
,dlaIKsl wdlD;shl msysgkafkak ,xldf ia:qm muKla kdY fkd meje;aug meyeos,s
lroSula iemhsh yelsh' wmf.a mfhaIl m%cdj fuu meyeos,slsrSu wm f,dalh yuqf wkdjrKh
lrkq oelSug ,xldjdiS lsisjl= wlue;s fkdjkq we;'
Contd. from page 5...

Appreciation ....

until the MDB was abolished in end December 1983. In 1984 when he was appointed a
Director of the Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka (MASL) to be responsible for overall development of Mahaweli System B in planning, designing and construction both irrigation and
social infrastructure. This post was held by him up to 1995 until he was appointed the
Managing Director of the Mahaweli Engineering & Construction Agency (MECA) of MASL
until it was abolished in October, 1999.
In 1988 he was awarded a scholarship to University of Canberra, Australia to read for a
Diploma and a Masters Degree in Resource Management. He returned to Sri Lanka in
1990 after successfully completing his PG Diploma and Masters degree. One of the most
significant achievements in his professional career was the initiative and leadership shown
by him in establishing a consultancy unit in the MECA since 1984. The Ministry of
Defence and the Sri Lanka Army depended on the MECA to plan, design and construct
Battallion complexes at Siddhapura, Maduru Oya, Puttalam, Anuradhapura and
Trincomaleee. Each complex could accommodate 1000 soldiers and over 100 officers
and others. Later in 2006 during the liberation process of Eastern and Northern provinces
of the country the significant role played by these camps is well known.
Eng. De Alwis was a Fellow Member of the Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka and was a
past- President of the Institution of Engineers. He served as a Council Member continuously since October 1990. During this period he functioned as Hony. Secretary for five
years and three years as a Vice President, while serving in various Committees, such as
Education and Training, Membership, Development and Professional Affairs, Continuing
Professional Development, Library Publications, Publicity and Conference Committee,
By-Laws Revision Committee and various Ad-Hoc Committees.
Eng. De Alwis served as an elected member in the Faculty Board of the Faculty of
Engineering Technology at The Open University of Sri Lanka continuously from 2004 up to
his demise in July 2014. In recognition of his invaluable contribution to the Sri Lankan
engineering profession Eng. De Alwis was conferred the Degree of Doctor of Engineering,
Honoris Causa by the Open University of Sri Lanka in 2009. Although he had his ups and
downs in his career, all the colleagues who worked with him (above or under) knows very
well in their hearts about his hard work, dedication, integrity, genuineness and most of all
of his honesty. Let my sympathies pass to his loving wife Manel, and three children
Sidantha, Ransarani and Sachitra. May Eng. (Dr.) Dharmasiri De Alwiss attain Nibbana.

Sri Lanka Engineering News - July / August 2014


IESL NEWS
Contd. from page 9..

Cloud Computing .....


Un fortunately, architectural

limitations, the VM vendors


approach to isolation, or bugs
in the virtualization software
may result in the ability to compromise isolation. VM escape
is such a scenario which in the
worst case, a program running inside a VM would be able
to completely bypass the VM
layer, getting full access to the
hosting environment [14]. For
example, successful exploitation of VMWare remote arbitrary code execution vulnerability may allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code on the vulnerable computer hosting
VMWare resulting a complete
compromise [14].
Sometimes one VM can monitor another VM, resides on
same physical resources.
This is done through CPU
memory or network traffic or
some other means of intervention [12]. Network traffic isolation completely depends on
the configuration of virtual networking environment. VMs are
linked to the host machine by
means of virtual hub or by a
virtual switch [12]. This enables the guest machines to
sniff packets in to the network
or even worse that the guest
machines can use Address
Resolution Protocol (ARP)
poisoning to redirect the packets going to and coming from
another guest [8].
Zombies in the Cloud
Botnets are one of the fastest
growing threats among
malware today. A zombie is a
computer connected to the
Internet that has been compromised by a hacker, computer
virus or trojan horse and can
be used to perform malicious
tasks of one sort or another
under remote direction [9]. A
Zombie is essentially needed
not to be a physical computer.
A zombie can be a VM instance
in the Cloud. Jiang et al, provide an estimate that 40% of
the 800 million computers that
connect to the internet on a
daily basis are Zombies, that
are part of a botnet [9]. For an
example, Amazons Cloudbased EC2 service was attacked by a botnet in late 2009
[17]. This attack was triggered
by a compromised internal
service. Analysis of the incident
yielded information detailing
how a variation of the password-stealing Zeus banking
Trojan had infected client computers within the EC2 Cloud.
The infection was a direct result of malicious intruders
compromising a site within
EC2, and transforming it into
a Botnet Command and Control (C&C) system. The attack
was further aggravated by a
power outage at one of
Amazons data centers in Virginia [17].
Cloud Malware Injections
Cloud malware injection is an
attempt of injecting a malicious service implementation
or virtual machine into the
Cloud system [7]. Once a malicious VM instance is planted
in the Cloud or there is a
malware infected CI available
on the Cloud it could serve any

particular purpose the adversary is interested in, ranging


from eavesdropping to full
functionality changes or
blockings. The Cloud administrators need to pay special
attention on this type of attack
that will look to penetrate the
security perimeters of these
titanic data pools in the Cloud.
Once compromised, vast
quantities of personal data will
become available to cyber
criminals. For an example a
report by CNN [4] highlighted
that in January 2010, Google
announced its web-based
Gmail system had been compromised by a malware attack
originating in China. This incident proves that malware is
already finding its way into
these titanic data pools of the
major players of Cloud resources.
Flooding Attacks
Cloud Computing enables a
dynamic adaptation of hardware requirements to the actual workload requirements.
Though this feature of providing more computational
power on demand is appreciated in the case of valid users, it poses severe issues in
the presence of an attacker.
Once such attacking scenario
is flooding attacks [7]. To
elaborate flooding attacks on
Cloud, two security experts
David Bryan and Michael
Anderson conducted a research and they warned that
Cloud-based denial-of-service attacks are looming on
the horizon. With $6 and a
homemade Thunder Clap
program, they managed to
take down their clients server
bu using the Amazons EC2
Cloud infrastructure itself [3].
In Direct Denial of Service attack (DoS), the attacker only
needs to flood a single Cloudbased address in order to
perform a full loss of availability on the intended service. In
the worst case scenario, if an
attacker manages to utilize
another different Cloud Computing infrastructure or the
same Cloud infrastructure,
where the victim resides, as
the attack launching pad. It will
lead towards a race in the processing power between two
different Cloud infrastructures
or between the victim and the
attacker within the same
Cloud infrastructure [6]. In a
situation where the attacker
and the victim reside in same
Cloud infrastructure, the race
for processor power would
play both Cloud systems off
against each other. Both the
parties would be provided
more and more computational
resources for creating, respectively fending, the flood,
until one of them eventually
reaches full loss of availability.
Side Channel Attacks
I might find out all kind of business intelligence with things
that these side-channels
might leak, said Radu Sion,
a computer scientist at Stony
Brook University who was
chairing a Cloud security workshop at CCSW 2009 conference at which a paper was
presented [15]. Because
Cloud Computing introduces

a shared resource environment, unexpected side


channels (passively observing information) and covert
channels (actively sending
data) can arise. Sharing of
resources means that the
activity of one Cloud user
might appear visible to other
Cloud users using the same
resources, potentially leading to the construction of covert and side channels.
Utilization of side channels
to learn information about
co-residency of VM instances inside the Cloud is
one of the usable scenario
of side channel attacks. In
[16], they have shown that
(time-shared) caches allow
an attacker to measure
when other instances are experiencing computational
load. Leaking such information might seem not harmful, but in fact it can already
be quite useful to clever attackers. They introduce several novel applications of
this side channel: robust coresidence detection, and
timing keystrokes by an honest user (via SSH) of a coresident instance.
Although side channel attacks are said to be possible in carefully controlled
environments, Cloud service providers claim that the
side-channel method is not
seeming reasonable or
probable. Further they explain that the side channel
techniques presented are
based on testing results
from a carefully controlled
lab environment with configurations that do not
match the actual commercial Cloud environment. As
the researchers point out,
there are a number of factors that would make such
an attack significantly more
difficult in practice.
Malicious Insiders
Although it is less likely, the
damage that may be caused
by malicious insiders is often far greater. This threat
clearly identifies that there is
no security mechanisms
which will provide a 100%
secure environment. In [2]
Stephen Biggs and Stilianos
Vidalis believe that time will
ultimately see Cloud infrastructures, resources and
physical domains being
compromised by insider attacks. Even though certain
roles like Cloud service providers, system administrators and managed security
service providers are essential to manage Cloud service
infrastructure, these roles
sometimes may lead to a
role of a malicious insider.
Conclusion
Since the concept of Cloud
Computing was proposed,
Cloud Security has inevitably became a significant
business differentiator.
Much of cloud computing targets customers treat security as an elevated priority. Although emerging technologies and architectures,
used in Cloud Computing,
introduce new features, they
bring their own security con-

cerns and challenges to the


Cloud environment. New robust
security measurements are essential in order to assure proper
security. Although there are many
security concerns, just as the
Internet made information universally accessible, affordable, and
useful, we believe that Cloud
Computing also has the potential to bring about the computation revolution, in which large
scale computations become universally accessible, affordable,
and useful.
References
[1] J. Albus. A reference model architecture for intelligent unmanned ground vehicles. page
303310, 2002.
[2] Stephen Biggs and Stilianos
Vidalis. Cloud computing storms.
International Journal of Intelligent
Computing Research (IJICR),
March 2010.
[3] cloudtweaks. Thunder in the
cloud: cloud-based denial-ofservice
attack
|
CloudTweaks.com - the cloud
computing community. http://
www.cloudtweaks.com/2010/08/
thunder-in-the-cloud-6-cloudbased-denial-of-service-attack/,
2010.

11

Computing, page 109116,


2009.
[8] J. Kirch. Virtual machine
security guidelines. The Center for Internet Security, 2007.
[9] C. Li, W. Jiang, and X. Zou.
Botnet: Survey and case study.
Fourth International Conference on Innovative Computing, Information and Control,
IEEE Computer Society, page
11841187, 2009.
[10] Flavio Lombardi and
Roberto Di Pietro. Secure
virtualization for cloud computing. Journal of Network and
Computer Applications, In
Press, Corrected Proof, June
2010.
[11] William Moss and Brian
Richardson. Zombies in the
clouds. 2010.
[12] J. S Reuben. A survey on
virtual machine security.
Helsinki University of Technology, 2007.
[13] J. Rittinghouse and J. F
Ransome. Cloud computing:
implementation, management, and security. CRC
Press Taylor & Francis Group,
2009.

[4] Lara Farrar. How safe is cloud


computing? CNN.com. http://
edition.cnn.com/2010/TECH/03/
12/cloud.computing.security/
index.html, March 2010.

[14] Security Focus. VMWare


remote arbitrary code execution vulnerability. http://
www.securityfocus.com/bid/
15998/info,
2006.

[5] U. Gurav and R. Shaikh.


Virtualization: a key feature of
cloud computing. In Proceedings
of the International Conference
and Workshop on Emerging
Trends in Technology, pages
227229, 2010.

[15] David Talbot. Vulnerability seen in amazons cloudcomputing. MIT Technology


Review, October 2009.

[6] M. Jensen, N. Gruschka, and


N. Luttenberger. The impact of
flooding attacks on networkbased services. In The Third International Conference on Availability, Reliability and Security,
page 509513, 2008.
[7] M. Jensen, J. Schwenk, N.
Gruschka, and L. L Iacono. On
technical security issues in cloud
computing. In 2009 IEEE International Conference on Cloud

Contd. from page 1...

[16] Hovav Shacham Thomas


Ristenpart, Eran Tromer and
Stefan Savage. Hey, you, get
off of my cloud: Exploring information leakage in thirdparty compute clouds. Proc.
16th ACM Conf. Computer and
Communications Security,
pages 199212, November
2009.
[17] L. Whitney. Amazon ec2
cloud
service
hit
by
botnet,outage.
http://
news.cnet.com/83011009_3-10413951-83.html,
December 2009.

Immediate Past President ....

Eng. Tilak De Silva is currently the Chief Innovation Officer of


Sri Lanka Telecom and hails from Panadura. He attended Sri
Sumangala College, Panadura and obtained his graduate degree in Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering from the
University of Moratuwa in 1983 and his MSc in Data Communications from the Brunel University, UK in 2002.
He is a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology,
UK, Chartered Engineer of the Engineering Council, UK, Fellow
and Chartered IT Professional of the British Computer Society
and Member of the Institution of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, USA.
Contd. from page 5....
11th Installa
tion Cer
emon
y....
Installation
Ceremon
emony
He said the desire for Self Development is an important quality
every body should possess.
For the year 2014/2015, the following officers were installed by
Distinguished Toastmaster M. Z. Saleem, the Past District Governor of District 82 of TMI. President : Manjula Samarasighe ACB,
Vice President Education : Saman Devapriya, Vice President Membership : Jagath Wicramasekara, Vice President Public Relations
: Bhathiya Alahakoon, Treasurer : GeethaWeerasuriya CC, Secretary : M Musthafa Aliyar CC, Sergeant at Arms : Ariyasiri Arangallage
CC, Immediate Past President : RanishkaWimalasena CC.
Manjula
Samarasighe
+94714135894
and
Saman
+94714767825 can be contacted for further information on the
club activities and membership.

Sri Lanka Engineering News - July / August 2014


12

IESL NEWS

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