Financial Times

LHI makes Rs 22m profit, doing Hambantota port feasibility
Lanka Hydraulic Institute (LHI), which has declared a pre-tax profit of Rs 22 million last year, has almost finished consultancy work on the Colombo South Harbour Project and is now doing the feasibility study for the proposed Hambantota port.

LHI increased turnover by 30 percent to Rs 100.5 million, exceeding the Rs. 100 million mark for the first time. LHI’s majority shares are held by the LHI Employees’ Share Trust. Malith Mendis, Chief Executive and Director of LHI said they were now engaged in a project abroad after a long lapse by working on making measurements for a harbour project in Kish Island in Iran.

“We have now largely completed the consultancy work on the Colombo South Harbour Project and with a comprehensive Project Management system we were able to complete it on budget and on time,” Mendis said in a statement.
“We are now engaged in the feasibility study of the Hambantota Sea Port, salinity study of Walawe River and the design of Ambalangoda and Hambantota Fishery Harbours.”

LHI has formulated a Marketing Plan for the next three years identifying focus required to make it an international player. LHI’s Marketing Plan envisages focus on international exposure and they have engaged in dialogue and making collaborative partnerships with overseas consultants.

Mendis said LHI believes that exposure overseas will erase the perception that LHI engages only in projects in Sri Lanka. This has already paid dividends as LHI was invited to quote for modelling of Salalah harbour in Oman and the Port Louis harbour in Mauritius. “We have also been active in project incubation as set out in our marketing plan and have made project proposals for Coastal Vulnerability Assessments for the whole country and oceanographic measurements for the North- Eastern Province,” Mendis said.

“Our thrust on engaging in water management has been thwarted somewhat due to delay in approval of the Water Resources Act of Sri Lanka. However, we are ready to engage in formulating decision support systems for basin management once the Act is in place,” he said.

The data gathered by LHI during the tsunami was the only data available for this region and has been most useful for analysis by the scientific community, he also said.

LHI has a Hydraulic Laboratory in Moratuwa and are experts in Coastal Engineering, Water Resources and Urban Water. It also has capabilities in hydrodynamic mathematical modelling, physical modelling and field investigations.

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