PROF. DCH SENARATH – APPRECIATION

The news regarding the demise of Emeritus Snr Professor DCH Senarath who served in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Moratuwa, brought much sadness to those who knew him. He was an excellent lecturer who dedicated his life towards teaching, till the very end, in diverse areas such as Hydraulics and Hydrology, his specialty Groundwater Hydrology, Professional Ethics and latterly in Counseling and Psychology. He was also at one time, the Head of the Dept of Civil Engineering and Dean of the Faculty of Engineering.

My earliest recollection of Prof Charles Senarath was of a lean, dark and smart gentleman entering the classroom. He wore sunglasses while driving his beautiful blueVolkswagen. It was the era of food on ration cards, no private busesand only public transport. Hence it was not uncommon for many students to trek from the Katubedda junction to Campus on foot,which assured us of getting to lectures on time, instead of languishing in the hot sunwaiting for a bus. Many a student would also thumb a ride from kind-hearted souls like Prof Senarath, who would always oblige. This also enriched the staff-student relationship. The matter of relationships was something he treasured greatly and fostered.

Prof. Senarath was our first guru in Hydraulics in 1972, nearly 50 years ago, when we were third year undergraduate students. This was later followed by the visionary Prof. DayanthaWijesekera in the final year.Prof. Senarath was a superb lecturer, who could communicate complex topics in easily understandable language. He possessed clarity of thought and presented his material in a well-ordered manner, which in typical fluid mechanics terminology, characterizes ‘streamline flow’, that he successfully ‘injected’ into us! I still remember his clear and simple explanation of the fascinating experiments carried out by Prof.Osborne Reynolds, on laminar flow and turbulent flow at the University of Manchester, which resulted in the concept of the Reynolds Number. This is easy to calculate but has a profound meaning in the analysis of fluid flow. I was fortunate to see some of the remnants of this apparatus in 2015, while on a visit to the University of Manchester, and state this for the benefit of anybody who might be interested in the historical development of the subject. Unfortunately, life does not always run in a smooth ‘streamline’ mode and as for all of us, Prof Senarath too had his share of ‘turbulence’!Later, Prof Senarath also taught us someaspects of Hydrology and one of my batchmates living abroad had this to say, “He was very precise in what he said and didn't waste time. He explained the unit hydro-graph so well that it was easy to grasp”. Thus, we have lost a great communicator of scientific truth.

During the construction of the Polgolla diversion with the launch of the gigantic Mahaweli project, our batch organized a field visit to Polgolla and Prof Senarath was the staff member in charge. Telephone communications were so pooras it was the era of trunk calls, where nobody knew when the connection would be made. A critical last-minute trunk call had to be made from the little sub-post office near the Campus, to inform the site authorities seeking permission for the proposed visit. Many hurdles had to be overcome to get the visit organized.However, it finally materialized!As students, we felt that he shouldered responsibility and saw us through. Here was a person who was there for his students.

In 1982, the Department of Civil Engineering was ready to conduct a postgraduate course in Applied Hydrology and I was appointed as the course coordinator. Prof. B.L. Tennekoon who was the Head of the Department, ‘stabilized the foundation’ of the postgraduate program during this time. There were strict schedules to follow, as we were conducting it in collaboration withthe International Institute for Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering in the Netherlands. I remember seeking Prof. Senarath’svaluable advice and guidance in formulating the course. He delivered lectures in Groundwater Hydrology, his major area of specialization. He has played an active role in teaching and research in this area, lecturing to many postgraduate students, both local and international, through the International postgraduate degree program in Water Resources Engineering at the University of Moratuwa, until recently.

I shall always be grateful to him for an interesting article he passed on to me which has great hydrological relevance. It is titled “Kariba dam: Master of the Zambezi” by Gordon Gaskill, published in the Reader’s Digest of December 1959. It gives a classic example where a statistical estimate of a design flood badly misfired! It goes on to state, “The Zambezi rebelled against statistics. ……….  These episodes paled to nothing in the 1958 flood season, when the Zambezi effortlessly reached 290,000 cusecs, the kept climbing, climbing – to an incredible 575,000 cusecs! Helpless, Kariba’s builders watched ……. Total disaster was averted – but narrowly. ……. Engineers hastened to add two more flood gates so that if ever again there is such a spree, Kariba can handle it”. For anybody working on the topic of Flood Frequency Analysis, this is an excellent article, for it illustrates very well, the concept of uncertainty and the problem of large-scale extrapolation. Every time I refer to this article, I cannot help but remember Prof Senarath. Thus, we see a person who was ever willing to share his knowledge and expertise for the greater good of others.

During his tenure as Dean, Prof Senarath made a concerted effort to arrest the ragging menace with the active assistance of staff and students. Those efforts bore fruit subsequently, when for many years we hardly heard of ragging incidents at the University.

Somewhere in his journey, Prof Senarath ventured into another arena, where he went from the study of fluid behavior to that of human behavior. He equipped himself with further postgraduate qualifications in Psychology and Counselingand helped many people through his counseling skills.He played a key role as President of the Sri Lanka National Association of Counselors,in the aftermath of the deadly tsunamiand helped those who were traumatized by this disaster. He was also a lecturer in the field of Counseling and Psychology at several institutions. In particular, he and his wife were very committed to the whole issue of marriage and family and took an active part, through the Catholic church, in building healthy marriages, the basic building block of society. Many students too, had an open door to seek his counsel for their personal problems,confidentially. He would often stress the importance of developing the total personality, not only the intellectual.

I am writing this at a time when the Corona Virus has brought life to a virtual halt globally.  International flights are cancelled and there is an indefinite curfew in Colombo and several districts. We are deeply sorry that we could not even pay our last respects to youSirand condole with your family.

Several generations of students have passed through your hands. You have finished your race.The Lord and Master whom you worshipped, will surely say, ‘Well done thou good and faithful servant’. - Sunil S. Wickramasuriya