Evaluation of Traditional “Micro Catchment Management” Practices in Respect with Basic Concepts of Modern Water Resources Management

Abstract

Sri Lanka has beenconsidered as one of the agricultural countries that had maintainedsustainable hydraulic and agricultural production system since the early civilizations. Variousvarieties of paddy have been the dominant among theagricultural crops.Well plannedmanagement of water resources is one of the key requirementsto obtain high yields, since thewater requirement of paddy is relatively high. Thus traditional concepts and methods havebeen developed, to ensure the sustainable and optimum management of water resourcesespecially within the dry and intermediate zones.The storage,conservation and the sustainableusage of water has been practiced traditionally since the precipitation is limited temporallyand spatially.Specified approaches known as Micro Catchment Management (MCM) havebeen practiced to prevent and cope with water scarcity.Thus the ancient concepts of MCM isstudied and evaluated on a scientific basis along with the modern concepts of water resourcesmanagement, to identify the eco-consciousness of the ancient practices. Different practicesonMCM were gathered from literary sources such as ancient manuscripts, palm leave books,publications and were verified through oral interviews with experienced traditionalpractitioners of the discipline of VasthuShastra. The verified concepts were scientificallyevaluated and were compared with the basic concepts of modern water resourcesmanagement. In this approach, localities have been identified and managed as separateentities due to which the term MCM has been referred to.With the identification of suchboundaries of land that defines the catchment area, all the available water resources wereidentified and sustainably managed to minimize any losses of water without optimal use. Thesurface water flows of the area were often diverted to nourish tanks, allowing a sufficientecological flow downstream. Thus, different practiceshave been followed in the ancient timessuch as specific land selections, diversion practices, dam and tank constructions, specifictechniques to store water, minimize water infiltration and seepage, minimize evaporation andwind action, etc..Importance of establishing and maintaining patches of forest within thecatchment areas, the ecofriendly methods of forestestablishment and management, specifictree species that should be grown are also stated. Thus, the key practices of traditional MCMfacilitate the ecofriendly sustainable utilisation and management of water resources inharmony with the environment.