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Riding on a wave of success
By Kumudini Hettiarachchi
The deadline was a month. It was a small “disaster” in Galle where the lashing waves had completely washed away 150 metres of Galle Road at Kahawa and traffic was being diverted through Baddegama.

The month was for reconstruction of the roadway. However, Galle Road was opened for traffic in just four days. This was way back in 1985. And the woman behind the project, Mangala Wickramanayake, a raw civil engineer, fresh out of the University of Moratuwa, tentatively going about her work at the Coast Conservation Department (CCD), realized that if one sets one’s mind to it any challenge could be met.

“My Director then, Summa Amerasinghe had faith in me. All the people at the head office supported me, as did the Highways Department which came in with 30 big trucks,” she smiles.

Twenty years hence, her career pathway has taken an upward curve and is strewn with triumphs. The latest being selected as the Project Manager of a vital project to set up three fishery harbours in Chilaw, Ambalangoda and Hambantota under a soft loan of US$ 80 million granted by the Asian Development Bank. The post was handed over to her after a competitive selection process, with 13 others in the fray.

“I am on secondment at the Fisheries Ministry, from the CCD, with the work on the three harbours having to be completed in one year,” says Mangala, confident that the goods can be delivered as Project Director, Nissanka Perera, also an engineer, is very supportive along with the other staff. The fishery harbour component of the Coastal Resources Management Project entails the development and environmental management along an identified coastal belt covering 52 kms including the construction of marine structures such as breakwaters.

At the three harbours, the basins would be dredged to make the waters calmer for boats to land, load and unload. The development will also include the provision of facilities for fishermen such as an auction centre, fuelling and repair facilities and office buildings for administrative work.

Looking back she sees the ability to engage in hard work, take tough decisions and undergo hardship as being instilled in her, as a young child in a home where there were no brothers. Her father an army officer along with her mother prodded the three girls to handle anything and everything. “Freedom was what we had. I still remember as a schoolgirl, going on long train trips with my sisters, a friend and her mother. That friend had relatives all over the country and we stayed in their homes but explored many a remote area on cycles,” she says.

Laughingly acknowledging that she was good in mathematics, she says while most others wanted to do medicine she was keen to go for engineering. At the university then the demand was for electronics engineering but getting out of the groove she opted for civil engineering…….“the big structures, roads, bridges, dams and water schemes”.

“At our finals we could select two optional subjects and once I heard a very interesting lecture by Prof. Samantha Hettiarachchi. That guided me to coastal engineering, all about waves, tides, erosion,” she says. She secured the highest marks for this subject.

Launching her career at the Coast Conservation Department, once again she had much freedom if she could justify her work under Director Summa Amerasinghe. “Like my father, he allowed me to make my own decisions if appropriate.”

Foreign study also fell into place, just after campus and saw her in the Netherlands concentrating on her diploma. There she was offered the chance of taking up her Master’s but came back to Sri Lanka to marry and have her first child. “I went back for my Master’s in 1991 and returned to the CCD. The promotions also came along, firstly as Senior Engineer and then Chief Engineer, before reaching 40, of one of the two divisions of the CCD -- the research and design division comprising seven engineers, both male and female.

To the query whether there were any gender issues, with males being reluctant to take orders from a female, Mangala says a vigorous, “No” putting it down to the fact that the CCD has 50% women engineers. “Even in university, one-third of every engineering batch consists of women.”
Among her many achievements, she sees as special triumphs, becoming the President of the Association of Public Service Engineers which has a membership of 1,200. It was 2002 and the first time a woman had held the post and also at a very young age. “I felt deeply honoured to be given that opportunity because usually you get it just before retirement.”

Another signal honour has been bestowed on her. Being a Forum Member of the Organization of Professional Associations (OPA) was one but she has just got confirmation that she has been selected as a Vice President of the OPA. A few vice presidents represent the different disciplines such as the law, medicine and engineering.

Not only balancing her role as wife, mother of three young children, boss of coastal project and social worker, 46-year-old Mangala says she has immense support from her family.

And what is the secret of her success at work……..“I think my passion for work is evident,” she says humbly, adding, “But the most important factor is that I work very closely with my subordinates. I join them in every activity. There is no strict boss-junior relationship. I sit with them and eat and my door is always open for them.”

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