FEATURED INTERVIEW : DRR Leaders Capacity Development for the Sendai Framework Implementation Vol.2

October 1, 2021

Mr. Sanjeewa Illangasingha, Sri Lanka

The National Graduate for Policy Studies (GRIPS)-International Center for Water Hazard and Risk Management (ICHARM)

(Designation at home country: Deputy Director, Water Resources Planning, Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka)

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Illangasingha study in Netherlands

Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Leaders Capacity Development for the Sendai Framework Implementation is a higher degree program tailored to the professionals at the government DRR institutions in JICA partner countries. It is part of the JICA Development Studies Program (JICA-DSP) - the program which invites future leaders in different fields from JICA's partner countries to Japan. Since its inception in 2018, the program has received ten students, among which six already graduated from the Tohoku University, and the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) - International Center for Water Hazard and Risk Management (ICHARM) of the Public Works Research Institute (PWRI). In 2021, five additional scholars are joining from Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Indonesia.

Mr. Sanjeewa Illangasingha, from Sri Lanka, is one of the incoming scholars who are starting the DRR Leaders Capacity Development for the Sendai Framework Implementation scholarship program in the autumn of 2021 at GRIPS-ICHARM. This article presents Mr. Illangasinha's background and his passions in pursuant of a Ph.D. through the program in Japan based on the interview conducted with him.

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Illangasingha surveying before rehab kandalama reservoir spill

Sri Lanka, vulnerable country for water-related disaster

Sri Lanka is among the countries in the world vulnerable to water-related disasters. Annually, the country experiences extreme floods, droughts, and landslides. Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka (MASL), where I have been working since 2008 as a civil engineer, covers more than 1/3 of the country. Mahaweli river basin is the largest river basin in the country, and it directly links with the above water-related disaster issues. The water resources available through the Mahaweli River are still not being utilized efficiently. People are also facing drought and flood issues in the basin and adjacent basins in the dry period. I feel that I have the responsibility to provide sustainable solutions for the above problems.

Growing up seeing JICA's work in Sri Lanka, inspiration for studying in DRR

JICA was always around as I grew up. At the laboratory of his university, I was surrounded by the equipment with JICA AID friendship stickers. I saw the same stickers at a local hospital where I used to go. The logo of JICA was something that I was very familiar with because of the wide range of JICA projects in Sri Lanka. I sometimes take part in international workshops on water resilience. In February 2020, I listened to one of JICA experts' talk at the Platform on Water Resilience and Disasters (4th Plenary), which I found inspiring.

In 2019 I participated in the Capacity Building Training Workshop on the Assessment of Flood Disaster under Changing Climate conducted by ICHARM in Sri Lanka. This topic directly links to the field of interest and the research I will be conducting starting this autumn. For me, it is essential to continue improving and upgrading my knowledge. I am eager to gain more knowledge in the field of water-related risk and apply the knowledge to my work back in Sri Lanka. I am also willing to use this knowledge to train my subordinates to promote further knowledge sharing. With the improved knowledge through the DRR program at ICHARM, I wish to serve my organization and contribute to Sri Lanka's better future.

Japanese Drama "Oshin" - Never give up, try and try again.

Beyond his ambition to learn in Japan, I have a special attachment to the country. I think that Japanese people are the most respectable, encouraging, and helpful in the world. I grew up watching the Japanese Drama "Oshin" since I was in grade one. I think that Oshin shows the background of the ordinary people of Japan and how they overcame the hardships during the World Wars and during many natural disasters to develop and grow as a nation. Through the Oshin drama series, I learned never to give up and continue trying until I achieve the target. We all have a hard time, but hard times are always followed by good times, just like how the four seasons move on - spring, summer, fall, and winter.

Future plan

ICHARM has developed open-source software such as RRI Model for analysis of floods. I want to learn those new systems and models in depth, share experience, and improve my knowledge of disaster risk reduction. After this course, I hope to use this knowledge to develop flood early warning systems for the Mahawali systems. This system will help improve flood early warning and benefit the stakeholders of Mahaweli Systems.

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Illangasingha in office

My Ph.D. research will address the water shortage issue and utilization of the water resources country, and it will give possible low-cost solutions for new water resources developments by diverting the water from rich water areas and developing the safely. Furthermore, identifying the new potential areas for mini-hydropower will increase the use of green energy in the country. I plan to share and implement the research outcomes within Mahawali Authority and other relevant stakeholders back home.

Interviewer: Misato Shimizu
Article prepared by: Ai Noguchi
Global Environment Department, Disaster Risk Reduction Team 2