Sri Lanka’s tank cascade system, which emerged in the dry zone as early as the 5th century BC, has been identified as one of the oldest nature-based water management practices in the world. Many scholars have reexamined the importance of the system for drought mitigation, rainwater harvesting, agricultural development, ecosystem conservation and socio-economic development. However, we have limited knowledge about how this system functioned for flood management. In this paper, we argue that flood management has been an integral part of the tank cascade system. It examines how traditional water management and flood mitigation techniques once flourished but now obsolete although local revival efforts are happening in various parts of the country. Our historical document analyses and field observations in the dry zone show how Sinhalese mitigated floods by incorporating traditional scientific and engineering knowledge, including land use planning, embankment designs, and water storage/release technologies. The mid-12th century witnessed the emergence of large-scale systems with various unique water control technologies. These large-scale tanks were later abandoned with the decline of kingdoms in the dry zone. Other locally managed systems remained but were gradually abandoned due largely to the British colonial rule that slowly penetrated into various parts throughout the 19th century. After independence, Sri Lankan engineers showed renewed but limited interests in revitalizing some parts of tanks, if not the whole system. Finally, this paper shows how traditional water governance that thrived in local communities can be helpful in handling emerging and intensifying flood incidents in recent years.

Authors:
Vindya Hewawasam, University of Tsukuba, Japan
Kenichi Matsui, University of Tsukuba, Japan

About the Presenter(s)
Dr. Vindya Hewawasam is currently a JSPS post-doctoral fellow at the University of Tsukuba, Japan. Her current research deals with Community Disaster Responses to Minimize Impacts on Informal Sector Businesses.

See this presentation on the full schedule – Sunday Schedule

Bookmark