Irrigation Training Institute

Welcome to

Irrigation Training Institute

Sri Lanka Irrigation Training Institute is located in Galgamuwa (Lat 8.0030, Lon 80.2800) which facilitate the necessary education and training on Irrigation Engineering and related technical subjects. This institution was started in 1959 by Late Eng.A.E.C. de Silva Gunasekara who was the 12th Director of Irrigation in the Irrigation Department.

Services Offer

Main Functions

01

Conducting of three year Diploma in Irrigation Engineering (SLQF level 4, NVQ level 6)

02

Conducting of local training on Irrigation Engineering and related technical subjects for the staff of other line organizations.

03

Conducting In-Service training programs for the staff of Irrigation Department

04

Conducting of Efficiency Bar examinations, examinations for recruiting and promotions of technical staff of Irrigation Department and other line organizations

05

Providing short term theoretical and practical training on Irrigation related subjects for higher educational institutions on demand.

06

Organizing and facilitating for training and logistic needs of residential and non-residential training programs of any governmental or non-governmental organizations on demand.

Irrigation Heritage

Our Hydraulic Civilization is more than 2,500 Years Old. “Basawakkulama” is the first Reservoir built in the recorded history of Sri Lanka today carries 174 hectares of water at the surface even after 2500 years. Even some large reservoirs were more than 2,500 yrs. The tank still serve to supply water to Anuradhapura.

Forming of the Irrigation Department

The Britishers who abolished the irrigation system of Sri Lanka later realized the importance of being self sufficiency of staple food.

Sir Henry Ward the Governor appointed a committee in 1845 to look into the feasibility of restoring the abandoned Irrigation tanks. The restorations began in Batticaloa, Ampara & Hambantota districts in 1864 and 77,000 acres were brought under cultivation. The term settlement schemes or colonization schemes came in to the seen and people were some what forcibly settled to start cultivation but the rehabilitation process was very slow and the reason paved way to form a specialized department.

The Governor West Ridgeway established Irrigation Department on 15th May 1900. First Director of Irrigation was H T S Ward with his deputy as Henry Parker as Irrigation Assistant and seven other Engineers were assigned to the new department.

Establishment of Irrigation Training Institute At Galgamuwa

In the beginning Colonial Engineers hand picked bright students from famous colleges and trained them as Field Assistants.(Brightest field assistants went abroad for higher studies and became Engineers)

Later Irrigation Department absorbed the Technical Assistants passed out from Maradana Technical College

In year 1958, continuous strike went on in Technical College Maradana and Irrigation Department suffered with the shortage of Technical Assistants. The Late Engineer Eng. Silva Gunasekara the Director of Irrigation declared opened it’s own Irrigation Training Institute at Galgamuwa on 1st of January 1959 and started 3 year full time Diploma in Irrigation Engineering course.

“

We (University of Sri Jayawardhanapura) conducted our first civil engineering survey camp here. This place is a great place 👍. The director in charge is very supportive. Foods are really great ( Everyone who joined in the survey camp would agree with me). The minor staff members ares also very helpful. The only problem is that there are many dogs in the surrounding. They have A2 printing facilities, survey equipments, computer facilities and a play ground.

- Dinidu Jayalath

“

We (University of Sri Jayawardhanapura) conducted our first civil engineering survey camp here. This place is a great place 👍. The director in charge is very supportive. Foods are really great 😊 ( Everyone who joined in the survey camp would agree with me). The minor staff members ares also very helpful. The only problem is that there are many dogs in the surrounding. They have A2 printing facilities, survey equipments, computer facilities and a play ground.

- Sameera Samarasekara