BITS Faculty Publications

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Author: search.filters.author.Goonetilleke, AshanthaStart date: 2024

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    Household attributes, motivational factors, and sources of motivation influencing flood preparedness of vulnerable population groups
    (Higher Education Press, 2026) Goonetilleke, Ashantha
    Extreme disaster events, particularly floods, impact individuals, households, and communities differently depending on a range of factors. Some residents are more vulnerable than others to floods, hence urgent action is needed to improve preparedness of vulnerable groups to reduce potential impacts of flooding. To achieve this, it is important to assess household flood preparedness, and identify the influence of household-level attributes on flood preparedness. Using a large-scale community survey, this study investigated how key household attributes such as evacuation assistance, Internet access, and key motivational factors and sources of motivation such as personal and social networks influence flood preparedness among vulnerable households. Households were categorized into three levels of vulnerability (high, medium, and low) by combining household economic capacity, as measured by household monthly expenditure, and the presence of vulnerable family members. Six key findings emerged: (1) Highly vulnerable households showed higher resilience to floods, and flood preparedness levels are independent of household vulnerability levels; (2) Self-reported household flood preparedness is positively influenced by learning from past disaster experience; (3) Financial and time commitments, and a sense of urgency for household-level flood preparedness are key intrinsic motivational factors that influence flood preparedness; (4) Access to reliable Internet can be used as a proxy to predict the degree of household flood preparedness; (5) Higher levels of awareness and knowledge of flood preparedness were reported despite low levels of community consultation; and (6) Self-motivation is the key source of motivation for flood preparedness. The study findings will support key institutional stakeholders such as local governments to devise strategies to strengthen the flood resilience of vulnerable households and communities.
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    Modelling land use influence on polymer-specific microplastics abundance and transportation from terrestrial to aquatic environments
    (Elsevier, 2026-04) Goonetilleke, Ashantha
    Plastic waste has reached a major environmental crisis level. Human exposure to microplastics (MPs)– particles <5 mm – is linked to toxicity, oxidative stress, inflammatory responses, neoplastic change, and numerous chronic health effects. Effective mitigation requires a thorough understanding of factors that govern MP accumulation and transport. While quantitative analyses at the polymer level remain limited, the role of land use patterns in shaping polymer abundance and movement is especially underexplored. This study addresses this knowledge gap by characterising and quantifying polymer-specific MP abundance (polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC)) in freshwater across four urban land uses (industrial, commercial, residential, and natural). Bayesian Network models were developed for two urban catchments, and a pooled model generated generalised estimates across both basins. PET and PP dominate industrial areas, while commercial areas show high PE, PVC, and PS levels. Residential areas contain elevated levels of all five polymers, and the natural regions are characterised by PE, PVC, and PS. These distinct polymer signatures reflect local activities associated with each land use. Regression outputs from the pooled model enabled quantification of individual polymer loads and prediction of concentrations at unsampled sites based on known land use profiles. Strong relationships were found between abundance and commercial/industrial land uses than with residential and natural settings. Consequently, mitigation strategies targeting industrial and commercial sectors will yield the greatest reductions in MP emissions. Study outcomes support targeted source control and efficient monitoring designs, and robust policy development for curbing microplastic pollution.
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    Catchment characteristics and land-use influence on microplastics distribution in freshwater sediments
    (Elsevier, 2026-04) Goonetilleke, Ashantha
    This study examines microplastic contamination in freshwater sediments from three urban creeks in Brisbane, Australia. A dual-density extraction method, validated by recovery experiment (85–100%), was used to extract microplastics, followed by identification via light microscope, micro- FTIR and SEM. Kedron Brook showed the highest median abundance (4400 items/kg), followed by Bulimba Creek (4100 items/kg) and Enoggera Creek (2800 items/kg). Site-wise assessment revealed three distinct spatial patterns among the creeks, likely reflecting differences in runoff dynamics, surrounding anthropogenic activities, catchment elevation profile, and land-use. Microplastics abundances were higher at downstream and estuarine sites, particularly within urbanised zones. Polymer analysis identified polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP) and Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) as the most dominant types. Linear mixed-effects modelling identified creek system (p = 0.018) and sampling round (p = 0.003) as significant predictors of microplastic abundance, while between-site variability was reflected by a site-level random-effect variance of 0.0116. Multivariate analyses revealed distinct land-use associations, with residential and commercial land-uses significantly associated with PP and polyester, and industrial land-use associated with PP, polystyrene (PS), and polyester, whereas natural land-use showed no significant associations with any polymer type. Overall, urban land-use types exerted a stronger influence compared to natural land-use on microplastic distribution in freshwater sediments.
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    Significance of QSAR in cancer risk assessment of polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs)
    (Elsevier, 2024) Goonetilleke, Ashantha
    The quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR) model is highly relevant in estimating the cancer risk posed by human exposure to polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) laden in the environment. The application of QSAR helps to bridge existing knowledge gaps in the lack of available data on toxicity equivalency factors (TEFs) for some PACs, particularly polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their associated transformed PAH products (TPPs), thereby minimizing the cost and time associated with the conduct of animal toxicological test. To produce a reliable TEF result that can be used to estimate the carcinogenic human health risks of PACs, four essential sequence of steps entailing data preparation, data processing, model development and validation, and data interpretation were used. Partial least squares regression QSAR modeling was found to be most suitable in predicting the TEFs based on statistical validation such as standard deviation of error of prediction and predicted residual sum of squares. The utilization of the QSAR generated TEFs and the initially existing TEFs for outlier PAHs and TPPs led to a more accurate and holistic estimation of the total incremental lifetime cancer risk posed by these hazardous pollutants to adults and children. However, there is the need to explore the relevance of QSAR application in estimating the health risk posed to living organisms by other categories of persistent organic compounds in the environment.
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    Development of a web application through a mobilized crowdsourcing platform to enable participatory risk sensitive urban development
    (AARS, 2025) Goonetilleke, Ashantha
    Flooding is the most frequent and destructive natural disaster currently facing Sri Lanka. Rapid urbanization and changing precipitation patterns are exacerbating the situation, leading to extensive socio-economic damage and disrupting countless lives. Despite the availability of technology-based applications that can raise disaster awareness and improve management, these tools are not fully utilized in Sri Lankan communities. The study addresses the critical issue of insufficient awareness and the lack of formal early flood alert mechanisms within Sri Lankan. Although, recent technological advancements offer opportunities for community to engage in sharing early disaster warnings among their networks, they remain underutilized. The community engagement in disaster management is still minimal, reducing the preparedness and resilience of vulnerable communities. To address this, a platform integrating a crowdsourcing-based mobile application with a web application was developed, aiming to make disaster management and response inclusive through community involvement and advanced remote sensing technologies. A flood vulnerability assessment model was created using 30 years of historical flood data and nine conditioning factors, including topographic features, weather-related variables, hydrological networks, land cover, and soil type, with Sentinel-2 satellite imagery for the Kelaniya watershed area enhancing the model's accuracy. The mobile application facilitates real-time data collection from individuals in flood-prone areas, who can report on flood levels, affected locations, and other critical information. This crowdsourced data undergoes rigorous verification to ensure accuracy. Once validated, the information is visualized on a web application, serving as a vital communication tool for both the community and disaster response authorities. The methodology includes developing the vulnerability assessment model, creating the mobile application with integrated crowdsourcing techniques, and conducting trial workshops to engage the community and validate the platform with the contribution of relevant authorities. Mobilization strategies are proposed based on insights from these community interactions. By prioritizing community participation and utilizing cutting-edge geo-information technologies, this research significantly contributes to building resilient and proactive urban communities in Sri Lanka. The findings demonstrate the substantial potential of combining crowdsourced data with remote sensing to enhance disaster management and community resilience.
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    Lab-scale engineered hydrochar production and techno-economic scaling-up analysis
    (Elsevier, 2024-02) Goonetilleke, Ashantha
    Despite the extensive use of engineered hydrochar (EHC) for contaminants adsorption in water, little is known about the scaling-up of EHC production which has kept the technology at a low readiness level (TRL). Full-scale EHC production was simulated to help bridge this knowledge gap. A systematic analysis was performed where EHC was produced from rice straw using hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) at 200 °C with iron addition. A techno-economic evaluation model was employed to simulate the production process and to estimate energy requirements, configuration, and cost scenarios for the HTC process. The minimum selling price (MSP) analysis of the engineered hydrochar was found to be almost half compared to the market price for other similar sorbents ($ 76/t vs. $136/t) suggesting that EHC production is feasible for scaling up. Finally, as a trial, the resulting material was tested for its efficacy in the adsorption of an anionic organic contaminant (e.g., Congo Red, C32H22N6Na2O6S2) in water to identify its potential for water treatment. Experimental results showed that EHC adsorbed > 95% CR suggesting significant adsorption capability and feasibility for production scale-up.
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    Adoption of Ecohydrology Approaches for Urban Stormwater Management and Advancing the Circular Economy Concept
    (CRC Press, 2024) Goonetilleke, Ashantha
    Sustainable stormwater management is important to mitigate stormwater pollution as well as reuse stormwater resources. This chapter initially discusses the current environmental issues caused by stormwater pollution and the key challenges inherent in urban stormwater management. In response, ecohydrology proposes an innovative approach for urban stormwater management which can reduce urban flood risk, mitigate water pollution, protect habitats and biodiversity, and improve the aesthetics of the urban environment. Ecohydrology can be a key enabler for cities to achieve a circular economy as it can contribute to shifting from the linear to the circular management of stormwater resources in cities for realizing urban sustainability. To enable a circular economy, ecohydrology can be applied for sustainable stormwater management through restoring and maintaining the stormwater cycle, stormwater treatment and reuse, and nutrient recovery and reuse. Several recommendations are provided based on the current knowledge gaps in relation to the application of ecohydrology for urban stormwater management from a circular economy viewpoint.
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    Bridging community engagement and technological innovation for creating smart and resilient cities: a systematic literature review
    (MDPI, 2024-12) Goonetilleke, Ashantha
    Urbanization presents significant challenges to disaster management as cities grow and develop, hence increasing their vulnerability to disasters. Disaster resilience is crucial for protecting lives and infrastructure, ensuring economic stability, promoting equality and cohesion, and ensuring the long-term viability of metropolitan regions in these rapidly growing cities. This paper investigates contemporary approaches to creating smart and resilient urban environments through disaster management that emphasize community-based solutions in prioritizing advanced technologies. The key findings of the research include three factors to be accomplished in utilizing technology in community-based disaster management, trust in the crowd, digital divide, and cultural sensitivity. Moreover, the review highlights the significance of the use of smart technologies in improving urban resilience, including but not limited to real-time data-sharing platforms and ML algorithms. Furthermore, it emphasizes the challenges regarding reliability and accuracy in crowdsourced information, stressing the importance of user awareness.
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    Fingerprinting to trace sources of suspended solids in the transport of heavy metals in urban stormwater runoff
    (Elsevier, 2024-12) Goonetilleke, Ashantha
    Suspended solids are an important pollutant in urban stormwater runoff. Past studies have mainly focused on a single transport stage of pollutants, constraining source identification of suspended solids at the catchment scale. Therefore, identifying the sources of suspended solids in stormwater runoff for the formulation of effective pollution mitigation measures is an effective way to manage suspended solids pollution in receiving waters. Sediment source fingerprinting is a widely used technique to trace the sources of river sediments, which can accurately identify the source of sediment through widely used tracers. This study used six heavy metals including Cd, Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn and Pb as tracers to quantify the sources of suspended solids in stormwater runoff from urban catchments. The spatial and temporal distribution characteristics of suspended solids during stormwater transport were investigated. The study results showed that the concentration of suspended solids was the highest in road runoff and sewer flow, especially particles <44 μm. In addition, relatively large rainfall depth, high rainfall intensity and long antecedent dry periods can lead to higher concentrations of suspended solids in roof and road runoff whereas longer rainfall duration can result in more suspended solids in sewer runoff. Sediment source fingerprinting and principal component analysis confirmed that coarse (>105 μm) particles primarily originate from road deposited sediments (63.80%), while fine (<105 μm) particles primarily originate from stormwater grate sediments and soil. The outcomes derived can help to comprehensively understand the sources of suspended solids and provide guidance for the management of urban stormwater particulate pollution, as well as being a technical reference for pollutant source traceability in urban stormwater runoff.
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    Challenges and opportunities for promoting sustainability in public buildings
    (MDPI, 2025-01) Goonetilleke, Ashantha
    The building and construction sector remains largely climate-unfriendly as a significant global greenhouse gas emitter. Public buildings can play a significant role in promoting sustainability practices. Unlike developed countries that have successfully promoted sustainable building practices, developing countries have experienced slow progress in implementing sustainable practices in public buildings. This research study investigated the challenges and opportunities for improving sustainability practices in public buildings from a multi-stakeholder perspective within the context of developing countries. Using Indonesian public buildings as a case study, a wide range of stakeholders directly involved in the public building sector such as policy-makers, building owners, building professionals, and building users were interviewed over two time periods of 2019 and 2023. The interview results show consistent findings on challenges and possible opportunities with respect to regulation, occupant behavior, and the primacy of technical intervention in the practice of sustainable buildings. Despite the importance of strong policy and the role of technology in sustainability practices in public buildings, this study advocates the need for greater intervention in occupant behavior so that sustainable practices in public buildings can be continuously promoted.