Carter, V.G.

Dale, T.

Coconut Research Institute Repository

EXTRACT FROM TOPSOIL AND CIVILIZATION B y T O M D A L E a n d V E R N O N G I L L C A R T E R {Pstges 200-203) . - C e y l o n is no t of g rea t impo r t ance t o t w e n t i e t h - c e n t u r y w o r l d c i v i l i z a t i o n , bu t t h e h i s t o r y p l r . l a n d .use. there, is in te res t ing . T h e anc ien t Singhalese -of C e y l o n c rea ted one'of the m o s t a d v a n c e d c i v i l i za t i ons of the i r t i m e i n a n area tha t is n o w a n a lmost depopu la ted deser t a h d j u n g l e . T h e y bu i l t t he i r c i v i l i z a t i o n o n one of the most r e m a r k a b l e i r r i ga t i on sys tems of anc ien t or m o d e r n t imes . A g r o u p of h i l ls a n d m o u n t a i n s r ise i n cen t ra l a n d s o u t h - w e s t e r n C e y l o n , w h i l e t h e n o r t h e r n and eas te rn p a r t s o f the is land a re flat o r ro l l i ng plains. T h e a n n u a l r a in fa l l i n t h e h i l l sect ion r a n g e s f r o m t o o t o 250 inches, most o f i t c o m i n g du r i ng the monsoons f r o m May t o N o v e m b e r ; but the r a i n f a l l o n the p la ins , w h e r e e x t e n d e d d rough ts are c o m m o n , d rops t o as l o w as 25 inches . a n n u a l l y a n d is qu i te i r regu la r . A g r i c u l t u r e w i t h o u t i r r i ga t i on w a s too u n c e r t a i n on the no r th -eas te rn p la ins t o s u p p o r t a p e r m a n e n t c i v i l i z a t i o n , b u t t h e h i l l a n d m o u n t a i n regions h a d a n u n h e a l t h y t rop i ca l c l ima te , SO the anc ien t S inghalese chose t h e d r i e r r eg ion a n d i r r i ga ted i t . 1 A l t h o u g h t h e i r r i ga t i on w o r k s , w h i c h used the s y s t e m of g r a v i t y flow a lmost en t i r e l y , w e r e s t a r t e d a b o u t 500 B . C . , t h e y w e r e p l a n n e d a n d s u r v e y e d as accu ra te l y as cou ld be done w i t h m o d e m s u r v e y i ns t rumen ts . T h e Singhalese cons t ruc ted s tone an icu ts i n t h e s t reams t o d i v e r t p a r t o f the flow t o canals , w h i c h led t h e w a t e r a long ridges t o la rge reservo i rs t h a t we re located at the h ighest possible e levat ions a n d c o m p l e t e l y s u r r o u n d e d w i t h e a r t h e m b a n k m e n t s . D o z e n s o f these l a rge rese rvo i r s w e r e cons t r uc ted , seve ra l o f w h i c h c o v e r e d fou r to s i x t h o u s a n d acres a n d had e a r t h e n \ d a m s f r o m f o r t y t o n i n e t y feet h i g h su r round ing t h e m . D u r i n g t h e r a i n y seasons e n o u g h w a t e r w a s s to red i n these rese rvo i r s t o i r r i ga te c rops d u r i n g t h e d r y seasons. C a n a l s l e d f r o m t h e la rge reservo i rs t o smal ler ones at s l igh t l y l ower e leva t ions , a n d f r o m these t o t h e g r a i n f ields o n t h e l o w e r p la ins . T h i s r e m a r k a b l e i r r i ga t i on s y s t e m w a s e x p a n d e d fo r m o r e t h a n a thousand y e a r s , a n d b y A ; P . 500 p rac t i ca l l y a l l the i r r igab le l a n d of the is land w a s u n d e r i r r i ga t i on . T h e i r r i ga t i on s y s t e m a n d the c i v i l i za t i on w a s m a i n t a i n e d u n t i l the twe l f t h c e n t u r y . A s the popu la t ion inc reased , t h e Singhalese w e r e a p p a r e n t l y no t sat is f ied w i t h f a r m i n g t h e r e l a t i v e l y flat i r r igab le l a n d s ; a lso, t h e y doubt less w a n t e d t i m b e r f r o m the forested hi l ls. T h e y c u t the trees f r o m t h e U p l a n d forests, caus ing runof f and eros ion t o be g r e a t l y acce lerated. Because of neglect o r b a r b a r i a n i n v a s i o n , f loods a n d silt w a s h e d out o r f i l led u p the d i ve rs ion canals , a n d w i t h t he rese rvo i r s d r y , f am ine depopu la ted the is land. C i v i l i za t i on d isappeared abou t a.d. i 200. T o d a y . o n l y the ru ins of the cit ies and temples a n d the breached and si l ted rema ins of the huge canals a n d rese rvo i r s r e m a i n to tel l t he s t o r y of th is once great c i v i l i za t i on . D u r i n g the per iod of b a r b a r i s m t h a t fo l l owed the fa l l o f the anc ien t S inghalese, the l a n d l a r g e l y r e c o v e r e d . Whence P o r t u g u e s e , D u t c h , a n d B r i t i sh came to the i s land i n the s i x t een th 39 c e n t u r y , t h e h i l ls o f C e y l o n were aga in c o v e r e d w i t h forests, a n d t h e b a r b a r i a n n a t i v e s w . p rac t i c ing a sh i f t i ng agr i cu l tu re in the w e t , t r op i ca l h i l l - reg ion . N o w w e sha l l see w h a t th is n e w occupa t i on b y c i v i l i z e d m e n h a s d o n e t o t h e l a n d . I n 187 T h w a i t e s , D i r e c t o r o k h e Bo tan ica l Ga rdens , i n a le t te r t o t h e G o v e r n o r G e n e r a l of C e y l o n , s tated • ' I t m u s t h a v e m a d e i tsel f pa in fu l l y ev i den t t o m a n y of t h e older res idents o f t h e i s land thajk g rea t changes h a v e been b rough t about b y the deforest ing of large a r e a s — f r o m th is de fo res t ing ! h a s resu l ted m u c h w a s h i n g a w a y of v a l u a b l e sur face soi l , w h i c h canno t b e rep laced a n d w h i c h has f o u n d i ts w a y i n t o the r i ve rs , o r has been depos i ted o n l ower lands, thus c o v e r i n g la rge areas w i t h s i l t a n d in te r fe r i ng w i t h n a t i v e c u l t i v a t i o n . * B y 1931, t h e s i t ua t i on h a d become so ser ious tha t the B r i t i sh g o v e r n m e n t appo in ted a specia l c o m m i t t e e to s t u d y soil erosion a n d r e c o m m e n d approp r ia te g o v e r n m e n t a l a c t i o n . T h i s commi t t ee f o u n d severjfe erosion o v e r p rac t i ca l l y a l l t h e c u l t i v a t e d l a n d o f t h e i s land a n d recommended d ras t i c legis lat ion to regu la te the use o f p r i v a t e l y o w n e d l ands as we l l as g o v e r n m e n t lands . C e y l o n is m a k i n g some progress , b u t erosion is st i l l so severe t h a t i t t h rea tens to des t r oy m a n y of the va luab le tea a n d r u b b e r p lan ta t ions . T h e si l t l o a d in m o s t s t reams is so g r e a t t h a t i t is imprac t i ca l for engineers t o cons t ruc t i r r i g a t i o n w o r k s t h a t w o u l d s u p p l y Wate r t o the semi -ar id p la ins o n w h i c h the anc ient Singhalese c i v i l i za t i on w a s bu i l t . •Thanks are due to University of Oklahoma Press for permission to publish the above extract. 40 

Extract from topsoil and civilization

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Extract from topsoil and civilization

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