Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
from their early stages of studies. During a survey carried out in
September 2008, a team of 85 geography final-year students from
Sri Jayawardanepura University (SJU) used this school as part of
their studies. The students who participated in this survey came
from different parts of the country and were impressed by the way
the school buildings were embedded among the indigenous fruit
trees such as mangoes and others, producing a cooling effect. The
buildings present in the school are not obvious until one walks
through the pleasant environment. This kind of project helps young
students realise how our future buildings can be built using the
coolness of the natural environment without using the power-
hungry artificial air-conditioning equipment. Similar systems are
now appearing in different parts of the world.
10.7 Applications in Large-Scale Water Pumping
(
∼
1,000 W and Above)
This group of students also took part in the opening of the pilot
solar village at Kaduruwewa village cluster in Sri Lanka (Fig. 10.6-
10.8). They had the opportunity to visit and observe the installed
solar-poweredwater-pumpingsystemwhichreplaceddieselpumps.
They also visited a local eco-tourist centre in 'Ulpotha' and met
the village community during a welcome dinner and an open-
air musical evening organised by the villagers. No doubt, these
final-year geography students, when graduated and employed, will
replicate these socially worthy projects round the country. This
needs to happen in every developing country round the globe at
large.
University students are our future ambassadors and the back-
boneofthesocietyfordevelopmentprogrammes.Localuniversities
should organise such socially worthy events and projects to provide
student experience. Universities, schools, and all organisations
should take more social responsibility in nation-building pro-
grammes in addition to their mainstream job functions.
This particular solar water-pumping system saves diesel worth
Rs. 100,000 (
£
600) per annum for the village community. This
amountforuseofwaterisdepositedbytheconsumersinacommon
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