Ancient Water Management and Governance in the Dry Zone of Sri Lanka Until Abandonment, and the Influence of Colonial Politics during Reclamation

Nuwan Abeywardana,Wiebke Bebermeier,Brigitta Schütt

doi:10.3390/w10121746

Abstract

The dry-zone water-harvesting and management system in Sri Lanka is one of the oldest historically recorded systems in the world. A substantial number of ancient sources mention the management and governance structure of this system suggesting it was initiated in the 4th century BCE (Before Common Era) and abandoned in the middle of the 13th century CE (Common Era). In the 19th century CE, it was reused under the British colonial government. This research aims to identify the ancient water management and governance structure in the dry zone of Sri Lanka through a systematic analysis of ancient sources. Furthermore, colonial politics and interventions during reclamation have been critically analyzed. Information was captured from 222 text passages containing 560 different records. 201 of these text passages were captured from lithic inscriptions and 21 text passages originate from the chronicles. The spatial and temporal distribution of the records and the qualitative information they contain reflect the evolution of the water management and governance systems in Sri Lanka. Vast multitudes of small tanks were developed and managed by the local communities. Due to the sustainable management structure set up within society, the small tank systems have remained intact for more than two millennia.

Highlights

The ancient Rajarata kingdom flourished in the present-day North Central Province of Sri Lanka from the 6th century BCE to the 13th century CE, and mainly consisted of current districts of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruva (Figure 1)
This paper aims to identify the ancient water management and governance structure and its socio-economic implications in the dry zone of Sri Lanka through a systematic analysis of ancient sources, from its historical beginnings to its abandonment in the 13th century CE
This article aims to investigate the past water management and governance systems of dry-zone Sri Lanka based on the following key research questions

Summary

Introduction

The ancient Rajarata kingdom flourished in the present-day North Central Province of Sri Lanka from the 6th century BCE to the 13th century CE, and mainly consisted of current districts of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruva (Figure 1). The dry-zone water-harvesting and management system of the Rajarata kingdom is one of the oldest historically recorded systems in the world [3]. It consists of a connected series of manmade tanks, locally called wewa, which were used to store, convey, and use water for paddy cultivation [4]. Medium, and large tanks are connected by channels and spillways, and allow water to be conveyed along the cascade and to irrigate interconnected agricultural fields [4,5] This water-harvesting and management system guarantees the availability of water resources throughout the year for agriculture production and domestic use, especially during the dry seasons.

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