Ancient water tanks of Sri Lanka to adapt to a changing climate

Over 2400 years ago, Sri Lanka, a tiny country near the southern tip of India, flourished into one of the finest hydraulic civilizations of the world. This country, at the core of the south east monsoon, has 80% of its territory covered by a dry zone prone to water scarcity. Its ancient kings built a sophisticated network of small tanks connected by canals to large reservoirs to collect and redistribute every single drop of rain the land received. The tanks were built in cascading systems, using the natural inclination and topography of the land, full of small watersheds. They kept the natural cycle of water through soil, vegetation and atmosphere. The main goal of the system was to save and re-use water, allowing cultivation of rice in the dry zone. Tanks, paddy fields, watersheds, canals and natural ecosystems were perfectly interlaced.
The cascade system was perfectly adapted to cope with Sri Lanka’s climate, characterized by recurrent droughts and floods. The tanks were equipped with features to prevent floods, preserve water and control evaporation.
Today, Climate Change is exposing Sri Lanka to higher temperatures, heavier and more irregular rains and longer droughts, and most of the cascade systems are in disrepair.
The ancient tank's design and construction sophistication was poorly understood by modern engineers and some key features were dropped. During the colonial era tank cascade systems were neglected and abandoned. Many farmers accumulate debts and hope for the rains to come on time. Kidney disease has become a national problem due to drinking of water, contaminated by agro-chemicals from the fields and compounded by rainfall shortages, adding serious health expenses to already strained rural budgets.
The Ministry of Disaster Management of the Government of Sri Lanka with the support of UNDP is working to adapt to the new climatic conditions.
Ancient kings were visionaries. Their sophisticated system of tanks, canals and reservoirs kept a perfect ecological balance and was able to mitigate droughts, cool down temperature and save water. For this reason, the Government of Sri Lanka and UNDP are rehabilitating 33 tanks that were in disrepair and need upgrading given the new climate change realities that are unfolding in this part of the world. In doing so, the Government and UNDP will also reintroducing ancient elements that have been forgotten over the centuries.
Rehabilitating tanks will make communities more self-sufficient, allowing them to produce a surplus of crops from home gardens and rice, which Sri Lanka’s farmers associate to their very own cultural identity.
UNDP is also supporting Sri Lanka to use geospatial data on disasters, climate change and socioeconomic conditions to identify the most needed interventions. UNDP and USAID are also supporting the publication of a study on the economic cost of climate change.
UNDP’s holistic approach to support Sri Lanka to adapt to a changing climate and its work to revive millenary ecological wisdom has brought back hope to people like Ganga.
Director: Marta Baraibar
2D and 3D Animations: Alex Petrovsky

[@GiffysChannel]

I'm glad they are repairing these ancient system. The wisdom of the ancients continue to amaze me.

[@punithanesaraj2497]

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[@YasithaThilakaratneMe]

Nice mini documentary, There were ancient Kings who built large tank system and inter canal systems in dry zone. They were believed to be used for the cultivation and also for the transportation. The yodha ela canal had inch per mile gradient, They built Jethawanaramaya, the third tallest building (after two pyramids in Giza) @200-300A. D. King Parakramabahu said to build or restore 163 major tanks (reservoirs), 2,617 minor tanks, 3,910 irrigation channels.
Unfortunately that greatness has lost over the following years to come. Now they barely even want to protect them.

[@thanurijayodya1424]

I LOVE MY MOTHER SRI LANKA . PROUD OF YOU

[@NERGYStudios]

Surely those people may have not been as advanced as the modern crop of scientists and engineers, but they sure knew what they were doing, and had a better idea about actual sustainability than any modern scholar. They managed to preserve the planet for another 1000 years. We would be lucky if we can make it survive another 100.

[@asirimaduranga8697]

now we cant build a single tank without foriegn help. what a destiny.

[@SSchithFoo]

This is amazing

[@NK_Khoo-Malaysian]

Some man-made lakes are like inland sea.

[@invinoveritas6859]

Hun Sen of Cambodia burrried all the ancient lakes and reservoirs in Cambodia.How sad !!!!🤕🤧

[@vijayafernando1]

urgent action is needed by president Sirisena to re introduce village tank system.

[@ENSL420]

⛲

[@ddjanuk]

now days these tanks are dying dur to lack of attention