From ‘village tanks’ to ‘evaporating pans’: Colonial and Post-colonial responses to ancient village tanks in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Village tanks, prevalent since ancient times, were an integrated part of the irrigation system in Sri Lanka (‘Ceylon’ till 1972). It was under these village tanks that paddy cultivation took place, and they were a part of the socially, technologically, and ecologically cohesive way of village life. The colonial authorities, who tried to renovate that ancient system, perceived village tanks as technically inefficient due to excessive evaporation and uneconomical land use. However, for several reasons, that perception could not be materialized during their renovation works. During the post-colonial period, with the implementation of the land colonization schemes in the 1930’s and the multipurpose river valley development schemes in the 1960’s, the scenario took a different shape. The technically perceived inferiority of the village tanks was brought into the new water management policies and the engineering designs. As a result, many of the village tanks were demolished, and those lands were converted to the farmlands. Instead of water availabilities assured through village tanks, canal irrigation became prominent. The socio-technical bondage between the village tanks and the village communities was not considered, presenting a classic case study for the consequences of neglecting social component of the technology. This paper discusses the social, political, and technical implications of these moves and their influence on shaping the present irrigation setup in the island.