Institutional-Repository, University of Moratuwa
Welcome to the University of Moratuwa Digital Repository, which houses postgraduate theses and dissertations, research articles presented at conferences by faculties and departments, university-published journal articles and research publications authored by academic staff. This online repository stores, preserves and distributes the University's scholarly work. This service allows University members to share their research with a larger audience.
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Recent Submissions
item: Conference-Abstract
GIS and multi-criteria decision analysis for sustainable development of coastal water bodies created by 2004 tsunami and tectonic subsidence in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India
(2026) Yuvaraj, E; Kirubashankar, R; Rassel, S; Gokul, S; Adharsh, AR; Saravanan, A; Rajapakse, RLHL; Prasath, RA
More than two decades after 2004 Tsunami and Tectonic subsidence in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the resultant generated coastal water bodies are remain unutilized in many locations and some of the areas are recently land filled for the construction. These seawater inundated areas are highly vulnerable to natural disasters and crocodile infestation, utilising these lands for settlements and commercial constructions is not recommended. The present study aims to identify site suitability for sustainable development of inundated areas through Nature-based Solutions and Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis. The Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques, along with Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) and the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), are used for the site suitability analysis of Brackish water Aquaculture, particularly shrimp culture and crab culture, which is clearly aligned with local livelihood preferences. In this study, three inundated areas of South Andaman Island are selected for detailed analysis: Ograbrach, Wandoor, and Stewart Gunj. A total of 13 criteria were used, which are categorised into environmental parameters, water quality, and infrastructure. The spatial interpolation maps are prepared for all 13 criteria. The AHP is employed to weight and rank the criteria. Using weighted overlay analysis, suitable areas for aquaculture activities are identified. The result shows that 9.6 ha in Ograbrach and 36.5 ha in Stewart Gunj are most suitable for Shrimp culture, and 18.5 ha in Wandoor is suitable for crab culture. The findings highlight the importance of introducing resilient development strategies in the inundated areas to ensure their long-term viability and sustainability.
item: Conference-Abstract
Planet green force: from green education to a living laboratory for water, energy and climate action
(2026) Wickrema, H; Rajapakse, RLHL; Prasath, RA
Planet Green Force (PGF) responds to the urgent need to translate climate and sustainability education into practical action by empowering schoolchildren to become informed environmental leaders, producers, innovators, and advocates. Developed in collaboration with UNESCO principles, PGF integrates climate science literacy, the Sustainable Development Goals, and the Green Academies pillars of water security, waste management, clean energy, and biomass production through experiential learning, research, community engagement, and school-based projects. Ananda College, Colombo, became the first PGF chapter and has served as the principal demonstration site. Activities have included teacher-training and Train-the-Trainer programmes, the International Day of Greening Education, student-led sustainability competitions and idea campaigns, field-based biodiversity learning, food-security initiatives such as the Seeds of Security programme and Chaya cultivation, and hands-on learning in soil regeneration, composting, aquaponics, hydroponics, nutrition, and sustainable agriculture. The emerging Planet Green Force Center at Ananda College is designed as a living learning and research laboratory where students can explore resource efficiency, food and water security, clean energy, circular practices, and emerging technologies including artificial intelligence for sustainable production. Experience at Ananda demonstrates how a school can become a platform for climate action by linking classroom learning with measurable environmental practice, teacher leadership, student ownership, and community outreach. The PGF model offers a scalable framework for developing environmentally responsible youth and strengthening waterenergy-food-climate literacy across schools in Sri Lanka and beyond.
item: Conference-Abstract
Separating recharge receptivity from flood-water availability for managed aquifer recharge in Wadi Qanunah, Saudi Arabia: a physically informed framework corroborated by an operational well network
(2026) Gaber, IM; Alghazi, A; Kenawy, AME; Rajapakse, RLHL; Prasath, RA
Managed aquifer recharge (MAR) can convert episodic floodwater into strategic groundwater storage in arid wadis, but conventional suitability mapping often conflates subsurface recharge receptivity with access to deliverable water. We developed a physically informed, non-compensatory framework for Wadi Qanunah, southwestern Saudi Arabia. Recharge receptivity was derived from AHP-weighted lithology, slope, sand fraction, and distance to drainage, with bounded penalties for electrical conductivity and root depth. Flood-water availability was estimated independently from rainfall-weighted D8 flow accumulation and distance-decayed accessibility to qualifying channels using GPM IMERG V07 and CHIRPS v3 RNL rainfall (2003–2024). The components were integrated by geometric mean, an availability veto, and landsurface constraints. Flood-water availability is therefore a relative routed-water accessibility metric rather than simulated runoff discharge or event-specific flood yield. Replacing IMERG with CHIRPS changed basin-scale routed volume by about 22% but produced nearly identical MAR rankings (Spearman ρ =0.9986). Seven hydraulically distinct candidate sites remained persistent across 119 structural and AHPweight perturbation scenarios, with diversion distance as the dominant structural uncertainty. Post-selection spatial corroboration using 56 operational production wells showed strong concentration within highpriority MAR zones; these wells provide operational hydrogeological context rather than independent field validation. The framework provides a robust screening basis for prioritising MAR field investigations by explicitly separating recharge receptivity, routed flood-water accessibility, and operational groundwater context, while site-scale infiltration and hydraulic testing remain necessary before implementation.
item: Conference-Abstract
Sea level rise and household vulnerability: evidence from coastal Bangladesh
(2026) Biswas, R; Rajapakse, RLHL; Prasath, RA
Bangladesh's coastline faces sea-level-rise-related shocks, yet evidence on how coastal exposure shapes household economic and water security remains limited. Using the 2022 Household Income and Expenditure Survey, this study constructs a composite Economic Vulnerability Index (EVI) drawing on the IPCC framework: exposure (climate-related shocks), sensitivity (dependency ratio), and adaptive capacity (expenditure, bank account ownership, durable assets, and access to safe water and sanitation), equally weighted on a 0–1 scale. Using the official WARPO (2003) coastal-zone delineation, mean EVI is significantly higher in the 48 upazilas directly exposed to the sea or estuaries than in the 99 interior-coast upazilas (diff = 0.006, p = 0.007, n = 3,806). Pooling Chattogram, Khulna, and Barisal divisions, coastal districts are significantly more vulnerable than non-coastal districts (diff = 0.008, p < 0.001, n = 5,293); propensity score matching confirms this (ATT = 0.008, p < 0.001). Within the 14 BBS coastal districts (n = 2,713, EVI range 0.09–0.63, mean 0.26), education is negatively associated with vulnerability and household size positively associated (both p < 0.001; R-squared = 0.047). Matching shock-exposed and nonexposed households on the non-exposure components of EVI shows no significant difference (ATT = – 0.006, p = 0.41), indicating vulnerability differences are geographic rather than driven by a single year's shocks. These findings support a spatial, exposure-graded view of coastal vulnerability, with implications for water infrastructure and disaster preparedness.
item: Conference-Abstract
Climate change–hydropower reliability framework: linking climate, river flow and energy security in the Punatsangchu and Wangchu River Basins, Bhutan
(2026) Zam, C; Rajapakse, RLHL; Prasath, RA
Bhutan’s hydropower sector is an important contributor to the country’s energy supply and economy. However, climate change is expected to alter temperature, rainfall patterns, and river flows, potentially affecting seasonal water availability and hydropower reliability. This study synthesizes existing evidence to develop a simple climate–hydropower reliability framework for Bhutan. Observed climate evidence from the Climate Atlas of Bhutan (1996–2025), projected climate and river-flow findings from the CMIP6 assessment, documented extreme-weather impacts, and hydropower-related concepts from the Power System Master Plan 2040 are reviewed and compared for the Punatshangchu River Basin (PRB) and Wangchu River Basin (WRB). The assessment indicates contrasting basin responses. The PRB shows increasing flows across the near-, mid-, and long-term periods, with stronger monsoon peaks and increasing risks of flooding, sediment transport, and infrastructure stress. In contrast, the WRB shows declining or stagnant flows in the near- and mid-term periods, raising concerns over dry-season water availability. These findings demonstrate the importance of basin-level climate-risk assessment. The study concludes that hydropower reliability depends not only on annual water availability but also on the timing, variability, and extremes of river flow. The proposed framework links observed and projected climate conditions, hydrology, extreme events, seasonal water availability, and hydropower reliability to support basin-specific and climate-informed hydropower planning in Bhutan.