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One rainy day in the middle of the 12th century, a great King looked to the sky and said, ‘not a single drop of water that comes from the rain must flow into the ocean without being made useful to man.’ World history’s most astonishing hydraulic revolution had begun further afield in the 5th Century BC and true to King Parakramabahu’s immortal words, a legacy of an ancient Sri Lankan cascading hydraulic tanks system keeps the modern world bewildered and one of the Indian Ocean Island’s driest parts well-aerated, giving life to a spectacular agricultural and bio-diversity spectacle.
Ancient agricultural
HYDRAULIC ECO SYSTEM
Known in the local lingo as Ellangawa, translating to Hanging Cascade, an ‘Ellangawa essentially is a series of mostly man-made lakes or tank that cascades on the natural slope of the terrain, feeding water to a larger holding tank. The awe-inspiring cascading system gives birth to a diverse eco system around which thrive a cluster of villages and natural habitats along the cascade’s path. The smaller tanks not just foster sub eco-systems but also serve as a filter feeding the large holding tank, just the same way the human kidney functions, removing heavy metal and minerals from the cascading water. The cascades go on to turning desolate land in to a thriving oasis for communities.
Tropical paradise: Cascades play a decisive role in ensuring Sri Lanka remains a popular tropical paradise
Ancient agricultural wonder
THAT’S 2000 YEARS OLD
Europe today is laced with reservoirs replete with hydraulic engineering elements introduced since the middle of the last century. What’s really stunning is that these were first invented by ancient Sri Lankan engineers, more than 2000 years ago.
Hundreds and thousands of farmer families still continue to live in Sri Lanka’s dry zone which would have been inhospitable if not for the hanging cascades.
HISTORY
and WONDERMENT
For a tropical paradise, a third of the island of Sri Lanka constitutes the dry zone, life and rain forming a symbiotic relationship. So much so, that the earliest recorded water tank in Sri Lanka dates back to 300 BC! That the island’s Kings chose to transform the arid dry zone into a flourishing kingdom when the central highlands presented a natural haven, perhaps, points to the visionary ambition of the masters of the era.
The country was thrust into an opportunity to be able to master the seasons and control how periodic flooding and drought would affect them. By creating a system of storage and irrigation, water was now available all year round. The historical hydraulic civilization of Sri Lanka offers an illustrious example of how ancient engineers built mathematically complex eco systems based on intricate water management systems.
Control over season: How ancient Sri Lankan Kings built on the cutting-edge of engineering, in order to have control over climatic seasons makes Sri Lanka one of the great nations of all-time.
Cascade maintenance by
ROYAL DECREE
Industrious Kings built the cascades and farmers were ordered into Rajakariya or compulsory duty in the upkeep of the entire Cascaded Tank-Village systems. The advent of Colonial rule in then Ceylon by the Dutch, Portuguese and the British saw the end of the practice relegating cascades into gradual decay.
To date, this island has 30,000 tanks in recorded history, all still in function, all still giving to the community. But in a time as ancient as theirs, where science and technology were still in their cradle, how did the Kings of yore pull of off one of history’s most stunning works of engineering?
To date, this island has 30,000 tanks in recorded history, all still in function, all still giving to the community. But in a time as ancient as theirs, where science and technology were still in their cradle, how did the Kings of yore pull of off one of history’s most stunning works of engineering?
Making of a great civilization:
The architectural and cultural awakening inspired by the blossoming of Buddhism with the temple and lake as centerpiece of a village brings up Sri Lanka‘s classical age, spanning from 437 BC to 1040. A British Governor once described Sri Lanka’s hydraulic revolution as incomparable and as the world’s biggest gathering of such engineering works.
Joining hands to
REBUILD LIVES
UNDP in a far-reaching and exhaustive mission with the Green Climate Fund, along with the Government of Sri Lanka, launched an Integrated Water Management Project through investments in Irrigation, agriculture, drinking water, and disaster risk reduction. UNDP’s approach sees it strengthening the resilience of small-holder farmers especially women facing untold risks blamed on rising temperatures, erratic rainfall and extreme events attributed to climate change and poverty. At least 33 Cascades in Sri Lanka’s dry zones are been rehabilitated under far-reaching programme.
The EGO
INITIATIVE
EGO is a joint effort between the UNDP, the Geo Explore Foundation and the cascade farmers as part of a livelihood and habitat development initiative.
Inspired by
GEO360˚
This website is a creation of GEO360° Life, a platform that acts as a social impact influencer. From battlefields to farmlands, from catwalks to the beaten track, we have lived through life’s most spectacular sojourns. Welcome to GEO360°, the integrated communications agency that brings you up, close and personal with your customers, employees and the planet.
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