Devapura Jayasena Wimalasurendra (17 September 1874 – 10 August 1953) was a

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

n engineer and statesman. He played a prominent role in the establishment of

hydropower Hydropower (from Ancient Greek -, "water"), also known as water power or water energy, is the use of falling or fast-running water to Electricity generation, produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by energy transformation, ...

in Sri Lanka and is known as the "Father of Hydropower" and was a member of the

State Council of Ceylon The State Council of Ceylon was the unicameral legislature for Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), established in 1931 by the Donoughmore Constitution. The State Council gave universal adult franchise to the people of the colony for the first time. It ...

. Born in 1874 in Galle, as the eldest son of master craftsman Mudaliyar Don Juan Wimalasurendra, He received his education at Ananda College, Colombo and joined the Ceylon Technical College in 1893, while working as an apprentice at the Government Factory. He graduated in Civil Engineering from the Ceylon Technical College and gain Associate Membership of the Institution of Civil Engineers (AMICE). In 1912, Wimalasurendra attended Faraday House in Stevenage, England specializing in electrical engineering and gaining the Faraday House Diploma in seven months, also gaining Associate Membership of the Institution of Electrical Engineers in Britain. In 1896 he joined the Public Works Department as a field overseer, and was promoted to an Inspector within four years. Having become a Junior Assistant Engineer by 1900, he worked on building the concentration camp in Diyatalawa for Boer prisoners captured in the Second Boer War; in 1901 he conducted a survey on mineral deposits in the Kelani Valley. Having had his initial proposals on hydro power ignored by the Engineering Association of Ceylon he constructed the first small hydro power station in Ceylon, at Blackpool, between Nanu Oya and Nuwara Eliya, to supply electricity to the town of Nuwara Eliya. In 1918 he submitted a paper to the Engineering Association of Ceylon titled "Economics of Hydro Power Utilization in Ceylon"; in it he proposed the possibility of hydro power from Maskelioya and Kehelgamuoya, capable of lighting 100,000 lamps (114.5 MW). He also introduced the concept of developing a national grid. Only in 1923 did the colonial government undertake the development of hydro power in Ceylon, but Wimalasurendra was left out of the project and left the country on leave to England. He returned only on the request of the Colonial Secretary. In 1926 he was appointed Chief Engineer of the Public Works Department (PWD). Soon after he began the separation of the electrical section of the PWD. To this end under his direction the government took over the Colombo Electric Scheme (established in 1918) to supply power to the Colombo city and the tramways run by Bousteads Brothers Ltd. He became the Deputy Director of the newly formed Department of Government Electrical Undertakings (DGEU) in 1927, and established the first thermal power station in 1929, Stanley Power House. Having his projects undermined, he retired early from public service in 1929. When engineer D. J. Wimalasurendra was sent to Aberdeen Laxapana falls by the British government in order to discover gold, he saw the possibility of hydropower generation. When the proposal of hydropower generation in Ceylon was presented to the British government, Wimalasurendra had to face strong rejections. But Wimalasurendra, who was further encouraged by the subjugation, continued researching on the subject aided by his own funds and eventually presented the research paper titled "Economics of Hydro Power Utilization in Ceylon" to the Engineering Association of Ceylon in 1918. National patriots and journalists joined D. J. Wimalasurendra and protested requesting the government to execute the hydropower generation project. As a result, in 1924, Laxapana Hydro Power Scheme was commenced, but shortly stopped due to weak government patronage. But D. J. Wimalasurendra, who was not discouraged, retired from service at the age of fifty and contested in the national election, to be elected to the State Council of Ceylon in 1931 in order to resume the stopped Laxapana Hydro Power Scheme. As a result, in 1950, Laxapana Hydro Power Scheme was successfully completed, paving way for many hydropower schemes that eventually made Ceylon, self-sufficient in electricity while strengthening the economy. D.J. Wimalasurendra the founding father of hydroelectricity in Sri Lanka Great sons of Galle - Article Publish on The Island News Paper (30/07/2020)

Early life and education

Born in 1874 in

Galle Galle (, ; , ) (formerly ) is a major city on the southwestern tip of Sri Lanka, south of Colombo. Galle is the provincial capital and largest city of Southern Province, Sri Lanka and is the capital of Galle District. Galle was known as ''Gi ...

, as the eldest son of master craftsman

Mudaliyar Thuluva Vellalar, also known as Agamudi Mudaliar or Arcot Mudaliars, is a caste found in northern Tamil Nadu, southern Andhra Pradesh and southern Karnataka. They were an elite and dominant land-owning community. Etymology The earliest occu ...

Don Juan Wimalasurendra, He received his education at

Ananda College Ananda College () is a Prestigious Buddhist school in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It is often known as "The Pinnacle of buddhist education " It is the largest national Buddhist school for boys in Sri Lanka, with a student population exceeding 8000 ac ...

Colombo Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...

and joined the

Ceylon Technical College Maradana College of Technology is the oldest technical college in Sri Lanka. Formally known as the Ceylon Technical College which was an institution of higher education for Technical and Scientific fields in Ceylon and a government department. It ...

in 1893, while working as an apprentice at the Government Factory. He graduated in Civil Engineering from the Ceylon Technical College and gain Associate Membership of the Institution of Civil Engineers (AMICE). In 1912, Wimalasurendra attended

Faraday House Faraday House Electrical Engineering College was created to train engineers in power engineering, power generation and distribution. It was set up at a time before engineering was widely taught at universities, founded as an adjunct to a commerc ...

Stevenage Stevenage ( ) is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, about north of London. Stevenage is east of junctions 7 and 8 of the A1(M), between Letchworth Garden City to the north and Welwyn Garden City to the south. In 1946, Stevenage w ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

specializing in electrical engineering and gaining the Faraday House Diploma in seven months, also gaining Associate Membership of the Institution of Electrical Engineers in

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

Engineering career

In 1896 he joined the

Public Works Department This list indicates government departments in various countries dedicated to public works or infrastructure. See also * Public works * Ministry or Board of Public Works, the imperial Chinese ministry overseeing public projects from the Tang ...

as a field overseer, and was promoted to an Inspector within four years. Having become a Junior Assistant Engineer by 1900, he worked on building the

concentration camp A concentration camp is a prison or other facility used for the internment of political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or ethnic minority groups, on the grounds of national security, or for exploitati ...

Diyatalawa Diyatalawa (), (), meaning ) is a former garrison town in the central highlands of Sri Lanka, in the Badulla District of Uva Province. It is situated at an altitude of and has become a popular destination for local holiday makers. It is home ...

for Boer prisoners captured in the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...

; in 1901 he conducted a survey on mineral deposits in the Kelani Valley. Having had his initial proposals on hydro power ignored by the

Engineering Association of Ceylon The Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka (IESL) is a multidisciplinary professional engineering institution in Sri Lanka. History It was the Director of Public Works at the time F A Cooper, who while attending a meeting while on circuit, who plan ...

he constructed the first small hydro power station in Ceylon, at Blackpool, between

Nanu Oya Nanu Oya is a long stream in the Central Province of Sri Lanka. It originates at an elevation of over on Pidurutalagala, the highest mountain in Sri Lanka, flowing into the Kotmale Oya at an elevation of approximately . The Kotmale Oya is a tri ...

and

Nuwara Eliya Nuwara Eliya ( ; ) is a city in the hill country of the Central Province, Sri Lanka. Its name means "city on the plain (table land)" or "city of light". The city is the administrative capital of Nuwara Eliya District, with a picturesque landsc ...

, to supply electricity to the town of

. In 1918 he submitted a paper to the Engineering Association of Ceylon titled "Economics of Hydro Power Utilization in Ceylon"; in it he proposed the possibility of hydro power from Maskelioya and Kehelgamuoya, capable of lighting 100,000 lamps (114.5 MW). He also introduced the concept of developing a national grid. Only in 1923 did the colonial government undertake the development of hydro power in Ceylon, but Wimalasurendra was left out of the project and left the country on leave to England. He returned only on the request of the Colonial Secretary. In 1926 he was appointed Chief Engineer of the Public Works Department (PWD). Soon after he began the separation of the electrical section of the PWD. To this end under his direction the government took over the Colombo Electric Scheme (established in 1918) to supply power to the Colombo city and the tramways run by Bousteads Brothers Ltd. He became the Deputy Director of the newly formed Department of Government Electrical Undertakings (DGEU) in 1927, and established the first thermal power station in 1929, Stanley Power House. Having his projects undermined, he retired early from public service in 1929.

Role in hydropower generation

When engineer D. J. Wimalasurendra was sent to Aberdeen Laxapana falls by the British government in order to discover gold, he saw the possibility of hydropower generation. When the proposal of hydropower generation in Ceylon was presented to the British government, Wimalasurendra had to face strong rejections. But Wimalasurendra, who was further encouraged by the subjugation, continued researching on the subject aided by his own funds and eventually presented the research paper titled "Economics of Hydro Power Utilization in Ceylon" to the Engineering Association of Ceylon in 1918. National patriots and journalists joined D. J. Wimalasurendra and protested requesting the government to execute the hydropower generation project. As a result, in 1924, Laxapana Hydro Power Scheme was commenced, but shortly stopped due to weak government patronage. But D. J. Wimalasurendra, who was not discouraged, retired from service at the age of fifty and contested in the national election, to be elected to the

in 1931 in order to resume the stopped Laxapana Hydro Power Scheme. As a result, in 1950, Laxapana Hydro Power Scheme was successfully completed, paving way for many hydropower schemes that eventually made Ceylon, self-sufficient in electricity while strengthening the economy.

Political career

In 1931 he was elected to the

from

Ratnapura Ratnapura (, ; , ) ("City of Gems" in Sinhala and Tamil) is a major city in Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of Sabaragamuwa Province, as well as the Ratnapura District, and is a traditional centre for the Sri Lankan gem trade. It is loca ...

, he held the seat for four and a half years and served in the Executive Committee of Works and Communication. He lobbied for the resumption of work on hydro power that was left uncompleted. As a result, the Laxapana Hydro Power Scheme, of which work had started in 1924 and stopped was resumed in 1938 and completed in 1950. In 1933 he proposed the formation of a ''Central Electricity Authority''. In 1935, the State Council passed the "Electricity Board Establishment Ordinance No. 38 of 1935, however the Board was dissolved in 1937 and the DGEU re-established.

Legacy

Wimalasurendra is known as the "Father of Hydropower" in Sri Lanka. The ''Wimalasurendra Hydroelectric Power Plant'' in Nortan Bridge,

and the ''Wimalasurendra Power House'' at Laxapana were named in his memory. He died on 10 August 1953. In 1975, the

Sri Lanka Post The Department of Posts, functioning under the brand name Sri Lanka Post ( Sinhala: ශ්‍රී ලංකා තැපැල් ''Shri Lanka Tæpæl''), is a government operated postal system in Sri Lanka. The postal headquarters is the Genera ...

issued a stamp with his image.

References

External links

ECONOMICS OF POWER UTILIZATION IN CEYLON
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wimalasurendra, Devapura Jayasena 1874 births 1953 deaths Members of the 1st State Council of Ceylon Sinhalese people Sri Lankan engineers Alumni of Ananda College Sri Lankan Buddhists Alumni of the Maradana College of Technology People from Galle Sri Lankan civil engineers Sri Lankan electrical engineers