This is the part 3 of 5th lesson in the course 'Traditional Knowledge in Sri Lankan Agriculture' taught at the Faculty of Agriculture, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka

1. P.B. Dharmasena
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Traditional Technology in Sri Lankan Agriculture
Lesson - 5
Traditional Water Resources Management
Part-3
Course code: AS 3210 (2/ 25:10)
Faculty of Agriculture, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka,
Puliyankulama

2. Traditional Agricultural Practices in adaptation to
climate change
• ‘Bethma’ practice during drought periods
• It is a practice that temporarily redistributes plots of land among
shareholders (paddy landowners) in part of the command area
(territory) of a tank (reservoir) during drought periods
• ‘Pangu’ method – Regular maintenance to avoid disasters
• The tank had to be maintained properly to avoid breach, leak, and
excess seepage. Repair and desiltation of tanks and cleaning of canals
during dry periods are shared tasks assigned to each farmer
proportionately to land ownership.
• ‘Kekulama’ if the low rainfall maha is expected
• Farmers advance the cultivation time using early seasonal rains
whenever they feel that tanks would not get enough water to cultivate
the command area. They have the experience that if September (2nd
inter-monsoonal) rains are high, the total seasonal rainfall is not
adequate to fill the tank.
• ‘Thawalu Govithena’ during extremely dry situation
• Tank bed cultivation using little rains constructing a main soil bund
between deep phase and shallow phase of the tank bed

3. Four strata of tank water body
Madakaluwa – dead storage area
Wewpitiya – deep water area
Waangilma – area between FSL and HFL
Wewthaula – shallow water area
Master bund in Thawulu Govithena to
prevent tank sedimentation

4. Waangilma
Wewthaula
Wewpitiya
Madakaluwa
sluice
Four strata of tank water body

6. Giritale Tank - the ancient sluice to which the controlling
gateway under the water surface still remains lost

7. Uru Sita Wewa

8. Rambakan Oya Old Irrigation Canal

9. An interlocking joint of the granite ruins of the ancient
sluice gate

12. Yan Oya pre-historic burial site

13. Ibbankatuwa pre-historic burial site
Sri Lanka has a recorded history since 543 B.C. Although records are not
found of civilizations before 543 B.C., historical facts reveal that a
civilization existed even long before from Rawana Times.
It's believed that an Expelled prince Vijaya to be the first Aryan King of
Sri Lanka. Since then many Kings Ruled Sri Lanka Till 1815.

15. Ancient Sluices
1
2
36th century BC
3rd century
BC
459 – 477 AD

18. The spill ways
Source : “ Ancient Ceylon”, H. Parker, 1910”

19. The village tank sluices
Source : “Wewa, U.B. Awesadahamy, 2003”

20. Ridee Bandille
• A system of diverting water from perennial water stream
without building a dam across the water way.

21. Diyaketa pahana - Alishthana