The death occurred on Saturday of retired senior irrigation engineer Douglas Pathmananda Ladduwahetty (96). He was the leading engineering mastermind behind the Accelerated Mahaweli Development Scheme and several other major engineering and irrigation projects in the country. In a career that began in 1953 and spanned over 50 years, he oversaw practically all the irrigation development projects in the country from Gal Oya to Udawalawe.
He was also a former Chairman of the River Valleys Development Board, Mahaweli Development Board and the first civilian Chairman of Airport and Aviation Services Limited. An old boy of Richmond College, Galle, he was also an academic who contributed papers to industry journals and represented Sri Lanka at many forums overseas. He was a regular contributor to the opinion pages of our sister paper Daily News on irrigation, science and agriculture.
He was the father of senior journalist Ravi Ladduwahetty, a former Business Editor of the Daily News, and three other children. His wife Sita predeceased him. A private funeral was held last Sunday in accordance with the prevailing health guidelines.