ANCIENT WISDOM IN DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT OF IRRIGATION TANKS

Observations of Great Civilizations show that their development was directly related to the extent to which they could control and manage water resources. The hydrological characteristic of the Indian monsoon necessitated the creation of storage facilities to hold the rainwater of the monsoon and utilize the same at a later date. With extraordinary engineering, managerial and social skills, an extensive system of rainwater harvesting structures like tanks and ponds had been built and maintained by the people for centuries. The community had the complete control over water. The village organizations had well laid out rules and fixed responsibilities to manage water efficiently. Traditional system of water allocation and sharing was based on custom, belief, and the concept of equity, as they perceived. This ensured smooth sharing and minimized conflicts. The structures built with the technology then available also contributed the efficient management. Behind these existing indigenous systems of irrigation, there thousands of years of tradition. A closer examination of the technology behind these structures indicates that the design that the design principles developed thousands of years ago still hold good and applicable in future also. This paper documents some of the ancient technologies in building tanks and water management principles followed in ancient period. The methodology adopted is to collect information available in literatures, epigraphs, inscriptions, and interpretation of the features of the ancient structures still in use and discussions with villagers. The antiquities of the tanks were established by the archeological dating principles.