Sri Lanka Holidays

Sri Lanka Holidays
Hydraulic Engineering vs. Water & Soil Conservation Ecosystems in Sri Lanka Part 1
Ancient Sinhalese of Sri Lanka, the protectors of United Biology
Following is an extract from an article by the illustrious D. L. O. Mendis

1. Water
Hydraulic engineering perspective – (Hard Technology); inanimate, active
Ecosystems perspective – (Soft technology): animate, passive

2. Small tank
Hydraulic engineering perspective – (Hard Technology): inefficient, early stage in evolution & development to be submerged by large reservoir built later
Ecosystems perspective (Soft technology): micro water & soil conservation ecosystem

3. Large reservoir
Hydraulic engineering perspective – (Hard Technology): efficient system in combination with channel distribution irrigation system
Ecosystems perspective (Soft technology): main item in macrowater & soil conservation eco-system, with micro water & soil conservation eco systems in command area

4. Diversion channel
Hydraulic engineering perspective – (Hard Technology): built to argument large reservoir-last stage in development of irrigated agriculture system
Ecosystems perspective (Soft technology): earliest stage in irrigated agriculture & evolution & development of water & soil conservation ecosystems

5. Vetiya
Hydraulic engineering perspective – (Hard Technology): abandoned small tank
Ecosystems perspective (Soft technology): deflection structure-micro water & soil conservation ecosystem; maintains water table

6. Downstream development area
Hydraulic engineering perspective – (Hard Technology): cleared of all vegetation to lay out channel irrigation system
Ecosystems perspective (Soft technology): must be designed as a series of micro water & soil conservation ecosystems, including forest areas

7. Forest areas
Hydraulic engineering perspective – (Hard Technology): limited to catchment area
Ecosystems perspective (Soft technology): not only in catchment area-should be interspersed with fields in development areas for better nutrient flows

End of the extract from an article by the illustrious D. L. O. Mendis

Extention
8. Objective or Focus
Hydraulic engineering perspective – (Hard Technology): Water per se
Ecosystems perspective (Soft technology): Water for People & nature

9. Paradigm
Hydraulic engineering perspective – (Hard Technology): Brohier’s four stage hypothesis (1956); republished by Joseph Needham (1971)
Ecosystems perspective (Soft technology): D. L. O. Mendis’ seven stage-hypotheses (1983)

For Part 2 click here

Today around 12,000 ancient small dams & 320 ancient large dams together with thousands of man-made lakes dot the lowlands, with over 10,000 reservoirs in the Northern Province alone.