Rehabilitation of the Gumbasa irrigation system following the Palu earthquake

Synopsis

The Gumbasa project saved the regional economy and local community in the aftermath of a major earthquake. The project meets the three pillars of sustainability by the adoption of performance based seismic design and using softer, lower carbon solutions to rehabilitate a major irrigation system.  The engineering assessment of the main canal reconstruction or rehabilitation of the irrigation system aimed for ‘Building Back Better’ approach by encompassing resilience in our design The project won the Geotechnical Association’s Ground Engineering Sustainability Award in 2022. The judges said “This award demonstrates our commitment to embedding sustainability and social outcomes in every aspect of project delivery within earthquake engineering, where most approaches focus on safety over sustainability.

About the Speakers

Dr Barnali Ghosh is a Technical Director at Mott MacDonald (London) and a Fellow at Institute of Civil Engineer (FICE). She is a chartered civil engineer with specialization in Earthquake Geotechnical Engineering. During her long career, she has acted as a seismic designer and reviewer for high-profile projects around the world. She has been propagating sustainable solutions for developing countries which have wide social outcomes. She remains connected to the academic world as a Royal Academy Visiting Professor at Cambridge University.  

Dr Peter Sharp  is chartered geotechnical engineer with 30 years’ experience in the management and technical direction of ground engineering and civil engineering projects, including proposals, planning, design and implementation of both routine and state-of-the-art ground investigations and interpretation of findings for all types of infrastructure and buildings. Peter has wide overseas experience of ground engineering projects within the Middle East, Europe, and South East Asia, including seismic analysis and design of earthworks and numerous piled and shallow footings and maritime structures in United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Taiwan, China, South Korea, Papua New Guineas, and Australia.  

Further information

This event is organised by SECED. The event will be chaired by Mark Scorer. Attendance at this meeting is free for members and non-members alike. 

In person attendance

The event will held in-person at the Institution of Civil Engineers (see map below). Prior registration is not required. Seats are allocated on a first come, first served basis. Tea, coffee and biscuits will be served from 5.30 - 6 pm. We encourage everyone to attend in person if they can. 

Online attendance

This event will be broadcast online. Please register for the event prior to joining. The registration process will provide you with the link you need to join the main event.

Link to register here

* Recording of the evening meeting is available here:

Rehabilitation of the Gumbasa irrigation system following the Palu earthquake | Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE)