Water Quality and Algae Laboratory was established in 2011 at the Department of Zoology and it was upgraded to the “Center for Water Quality and Algae research in 2015” Faculty of Applied Science to offer sustainable solutions for water quality, The main functions of the center are; study surface and ground water quality, study and give solution for existing algae related and cyanotoxins problems in drinking water and in the aquatic environment in parallel with the exploitation of their diverse bio synthetic capabilities and contribute to the national development.
At the initial stage the centre was research funds were received from USJP, NRC (National Research Council), NSF (National Science Foundation), NWSDB (National Water Supply and Drainage Board). This will be the first ever full-fledged state of the art Water Quality and Algae Laboratory in Sri Lanka. Therefore, the research council of the university of Sri Jayewardene is funding for strengthen laboratory equipment facility, chemicals. Infrastructure postgraduate research and post doctoral research.
1. Molecular detection of toxigenic cyanobacteria, quantification of microcystin and exploiting microbial diversity to remove microcystin for water treatment solutions.
2. Effects of catchments characteristics, anthropological activities and industrial discharges on ground water quality in Kelani river basin (Ongoing).
3. Isolation and characterization of selected veterinary and health important antibiotic resistant bacteria and their prevalence in sediments and water (Ongoing).
4. Molecular detection of toxin producing cyanobacteria and quantification of microcystin variants in relation to water chemistry in some selected water bodies in Sri Lanka (Ongoing).
5. Identification and quantification of cyanobacteria and microcystin-LR and in relation to N, P, Mn, Fe, COD and TOC in some selected drinking and irrigation water bodies in Sri Lanka.
6. Extraction of antifungal and antibacterial active compounds from freshwater and soil cyanobacteria (Ongoing).
7. Identification of pathogenic bacteria in groundwater of the Kelani river basin .
Research Collaboration
1. Cyanobacteria and cyanotoxin analysis in Sri Lanka water bodies Robert Gorden university, UK
2. Production of biodiesel from Microcystis bloom in Beira lake” – Petroleum cooperation
3. Identification of pathogenic bacteria (Salmonella, Shigella and Campylobacter) in ground water in the Kelani river basin- Medical Research Institute (MRI) and WHO Salmonella and Shigella laboratory in Thailand
4. Qualitatively and quantitatively analysis of pesticides in ground water of the Kelani river basin – Pesticide Registrar Department
5. “Antibiotic resistance in poultry broiler birds concerned in campylobacter, esbl producing E.coli and esbl producing Salmonella” Collaborative with the University of Tokyo, School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Veterinary Public Health Laboratory.
Contribution to National Development
1. The results of the study “Effects of catchments characteristics, anthropological activities and industrial discharges on ground water quality in the Kelani river basin” was used to prepare the strategic plan for “Kelani river, basin” collaborating with Ministry of Environmental and Mahaweli Development, UNDP and Central Environment Authority.
2. Sri Lanka standard 614: 2013 UDC 663.6-Specification for potable water was revised based on the results obtained from the National survey conducted by the Water quality and algae laboratory and NWSDB.
3. Microcystin and Cylindrospermopsin were included to SLSI water quality Standards from 2014.
4. A collaborative project was started with the Ministry of Environment and Mahaweli development to find a solution for distribution of invasive flora and fauna in irrigation tanks.
5. World Water Day-2015 Organized by the algae and water Quality laboratory collaborating with Ministry of Environment and Mahaweli Development.
6. Organized 1st International Symposium-2013:- “ Cyanobacteria: (Blue Green Algae) and Public Health in Sri Lanka.”
Publications-2015
Full papers
Index journals
Peer review journals
Abstracts
Publications-2016
Full papers
Abstracts