Technology transfer lacking in major construction projects
Saturday, 30 November 2013 00:00
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“There is a lack of transfer of technology in several projects carried out in Sri Lanka,” said Senior Civil Engineer Malith Mendis. Mendis who was involved in the Mahaweli Dam projects, the Accident Emergency Unit at the National Hospital, the development of blended cements and the Colombo South and Hambantota Harbours in addition to several projects overseas, said that there is also lack of transparency of technology involved in these projects and this will hamper our ability to maintain these infrastructure and also does not help in expanding our knowledge base within Sri Lanka.
He pointed out that in the Mahaweli projects, the transfer of technology, training of Sri Lankan technical personnel and availability of all details of projects helped maintain the installations. By the time Randenigala was designed, after completion of Kotmale and Victoria, most of the planning work was done by Sri Lankans from stability analysis to detailed design.
The knowledge thus gathered helped develop the country’s small and mini hydro projects without outside help. This is borne out by the fact that Sri Lankans are now implementing hydro projects in Africa.
In the current context, projects are being implemented with full foreign personnel and with little or no involvement of Sri Lankan technical personnel. The projects are being implemented in a very clinical manner with no transparency of the projects.
Mendis, who is currently the CEO/ Chief Engineer of Mendis Cobain Consultants and also the President of the Association of Consulting Engineers Sri Lanka said: “Sri Lankan engineers and authorities must ensure that all projects have adequate involvement of Sri Lankan personnel and that adequate training is carried out to be able the maintain and also implement other similar projects in the future and thereby widen our knowledge base. At the moment we just take what is given.”
A former Head of the Lanka Hydraulic Institute, (which was heavily involved in the design of Colombo South and Hambantota harbours), Mendis is a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka and also a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers, UK.
“The requirements of transparency of technology employed, transfer of technology, training of local technical personnel must be a condition in implementing contracts of any project,” he said.
“If further training is required overseas, then that must also be carried out. The Lanka Hydraulic Institute, for example, has benefitted immensely from transfer of technology and training in projects and is able to provide the know-how for projects in Sri Lanka in their area of expertise and was also able to venture overseas on many projects,” Mendis added.
