ENGD3861

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EXAMINATION PAPER

ENGD 3861- Sustainable Development

Exam Paper- 3 hours
Total Marks: 100 Marks
_________________________________________________________

Instructions and information for candidates:

This exam paper consists of two sections

Part I – Answer all Questions (40 Marks)

Part II – Answer 3 out of 5 Questions (20 Marks x 3 = 60 Marks)

50% marks total for module.

This exam paper consists of 12 Pages.

Programmable calculators are permitted during this examination

provided they are ‘reset’ using the reset button found on the underneath
of some calculators, ‘cancelled’ (by battery removal) or otherwise
checked and proved not to carry textual information, or formulae
required by the examination, other than normal scientific/statistical
functions.

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Student Declaration
To protect the integrity of the examinations process, students who undertake examinations at SCOT
required to complete a Student Declaration. The declaration will be returned with the script to the
examiner or the Invigilator.

Regarding the examination

Name of paper: _____________________________________________________________________

Semester and year: ______________________________________

I, (insert student ID) P____________________

hereby declare that:

I have not seen the examination paper and the content, or received any information on the content of the
examination from another person prior to this examination.

This declaration is true and correct. I understand that if this declaration is found to be untrue or
incorrect, I may be subject to penalties in accordance with the University’s Policy Statement on
Plagiarism, Collusion and Related Forms of Cheating.

Signature: Date:

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PART I: Attempt all questions. 40 marks total.

Question 1

Construction sector is considered as one of the main sources of environmental

pollution in the world.

I. Describe briefly;
a) Four negative environmental impacts of construction of buildings
(4 marks)

b) Mitigation measures to manage the impacts you have given in section (a)
(4 marks)

II. Briefly describe two negative environmental impacts which can arise from
reclamation of wetlands
(2 marks)

III. List out four negative environmental impacts resulting from the construction of
new airport closer to a wildlife sanctuary?
(2 marks)

IV. Briefly describe impacts on the water cycle from the destruction of forest
reserves for settlement development
(3 marks)
(TOTAL 15 MARKS)

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Question 2

According to the United Nations sustainable city development policy, building of

sustainable cities requires: (a) investment in renewable energy sources, (b) efficiency
in the use of water and electricity, (c) design and implementation of compact cities, (d)
retrofitting of buildings and increase of green areas, (e) fast, reliable and affordable
public transportation, and (f) improved waste and recycling systems..

i. Briefly describe why is sustainable city development concept is important.

(4 marks)

ii. Explain what is meant by the “efficiency in the use of water and electricity”
(2 marks)

iii. How does a country can promote affordable public transportation among its
citizen?
(2 marks)
iv. Describe the factors to be considered in “improved waste and recycling
systems.

(4 marks)
v. Name two renewable energy sources
(2 marks)

vi. Explain briefly the meaning of the term ‘zero-carbon city’ (1 mark)
(TOTAL 15 MARKS)

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Question 3

Green building is a holistic concept that starts with the understanding that the built
environment can have profound effects, both positive and negative, on the natural
environment, as well as the people who inhabit buildings every day. Green building is
an effort to amplify the positive and mitigate the negative of these effects throughout
the entire life cycle of a building. (Green Building Council, USA)

i. Name two negative effects of built environment on the natural environment

(2 marks)

ii. Name two negative effects of built environment on the people who inhabits
buildings everyday
(2 marks)

iii. Describe how a green building amplifies the positive and mitigate the negative
effects of the built environment
(4 marks)

iv. What parameters are considered for Green Rating a building in Sri Lanka?
(2 marks)
(TOTAL 10 MARKS)

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PART II: Answer 3 out of 5 questions. (Each question carries 20 marks)

Question 4

The upcoming Colombo Light Rail Transit (LRT) line will cross the northern part of the
Diyawanna Lake, and it has been proposed to the construction of 10 piers in the lake water.
You are requested to provide an engineering review on post-construction impacts caused
by the pier construction at Diyawanna lake waters.

For this review,

i. Calculate the change in mean water depth after construction of the 10 piers in
the lake water.

ii. Decide on whether this impact (change of mean water depth) is considerable
or non-considerable for the surrounding lake environment. Also, mention about
the other possible environmental impacts cause by this construction.

The area of the northern Diyawanna lake is about 62,381 m2

Mean water depth (y) of the northern Diyawanna lake before the construction of piers, is about
0.900 m
Pier diameter (D) is 1.8 meters

Hint: consider the northern part of the Diyawanna Lake is a closed water body

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Figure 1

Figure 2

(20 Marks)

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Question 5

I. What is rainwater harvesting? What are the opportunities and challenges of rainwater
harvesting? Write as a set of key points.
(5 marks)

II. The following graph shows the monthly rainfall in the city of Galle, Sri Lanka. A
research institute in this area with 50 occupants wants to install a rainwater
harvesting system at their institute to use rainwater for non-potable use such
as; toilet flushing, car washing, gardening etc., which accounted for 50 liter per
capita/day. They are going to use a tiled roof area with horizontal dimensions
22m wide by 28m long for rainwater capture. Do you think whether they can
collect enough rainwater in every month for their purpose? Suggest a suitable
collection tank size giving reasons.
(15 marks)

Refer to the rainfall chart in figure 3 for your calculations.

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Figure 3 - Monthly rainfall for the city Galle

Consider the runoff coefficient for this particular catchment area to be 80% (as some rainwater
will be lost due to evaporation, collection etc.)

(Monthly Average rainfall is marked in the figure)

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Question 6

i. Suppose that a hybrid car costs 300,000/- LKR more than and has a fuel
efficiency of 25 km/litre. Assume that a conventional alternative has an
efficiency of only 15 km/litre. (. If petrol is 160/- LKR per liter and you drive
10,000 km per year.

a) Calculate the LKR amount of yearly fuel saving by a hybrid vehicle

b) If the annual interest rate is (r) of 5%, and a car lifetime (N) of 10 years, convert
the yearly fuel saving by a hybrid vehicle to the present value.

To translate the yearly savings to a present value, use the following;

I.

LKR amount of yearly Fuel saving by hybrid vehicle

II. present value of the saving = 𝐶𝑅𝐹

c) Is the hybrid economically justified purchase compared to the present value of

the saving?

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Note: Capital recovery factor (CRF) represents the return of your initially invested
capital over the lifespan of an investment.

(15 Marks)

ii. Briefly explain what are the challenges and opportunities for the promotion of
Hybrid/ Electric vehicles Sri Lanka.

(05 Marks)

Question 7

Figure 4
I. The above graph shows the growth of the human population, and population
projections of the world from 1950 to 2100. Natural resource depletion is the sum of
net forest depletion, energy depletion, and mineral depletion. As per the view of
Thomas Malthus, shortage or depletion of natural resources was principally a problem
of overpopulation. This was later transformed by twentieth-century environmental

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theorists into an argument that current or future shortages of natural resources resulted
from a population explosion overshooting the carrying capacity of the earth.

Analyze the data depicted in the graph considering the depletion of natural
resources and briefly describe the world population growth during the period of 1990
to 2040.

(05 marks)

II. On January 1, 2019, the world population is 7.9 billion. During 2019, there are 0.75
billion births and 0.5 billion deaths record. In addition, 1 billion people emigrate and
immigrate among countries

a) What is the population on January 1, 2020?

b) What is the world population growth rate of the year 2020, as a percentage?
c) In 2019, the crude birth rate for the word was 18.2 per thousand population. In 2019,
crude death rate for the world was 7.57 deaths per thousand population. What is the
natural increase in population for the 2019, per thousand population?
(15 marks)

Question 8

Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) is the trash collected from households and businesses. The
graph below shows the MSW generation in Sri Lanka, including the projected figures between
2012 to 2025.

Figure 5

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Use the data provided in the graph to respond to the following.

i. What is the per capita waste generation? Explain.

(2 mark)
ii. Explain the probable causes of change in MSW generation comparing the amounts
generated in 2012 and 2019.
(4 marks)
iii. Calculate the total percentage increase in per capita waste generation from 2012 to
2020
(4 marks)

iv. Calculate the total percentage increase in MSW generation from 2012 to 2020.
(5 marks)

v. The gap between MSW generation and per capita waste generation is decreasing
between 2012 to 2025. Discuss.
(5 marks)

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