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Irrigation systems of ancient Sri Lanka 1 Man made lake for 1 sq Kilometer in the dry zone Irrigation systems of ancient Sri Lanka consist of a large number of village reservoirs to gigantic reservoirs and a intrinsic network of water canals connecting these tanks while supplying water to farming land. There about 30,000 reservoirs in Sri Lanka of which the majority was built form 3rd century BC to 12th century. This compared to the Sri Lankan dry zone land area of about 40,000 sq. kilometers (where almost all the tanks are located), is almost equivalent to one reservoir for each sq. kilometer. The first large reservoir to be built in recorded history is Abaya Wewa in 3rd century BC. From that day onwards Sri Lankan tank builders developed a remarkable expertise on controlling large bodies of water which allowed them to built massive reservoirs which no other civilization ever could have dreamt of. The breakthrough which made the Sri La...