Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
In Peru, Pre-Columbian Canals Offer Hope Against Drought
By Ernesto TOVAR on April 22 2021 12:29 PM
In the mountains of western Peru, a farming community is restoring a network of stone canals built more than a millennium ago, hoping the pre-Columbian technology holds the solution to its water problems.
Known locally as "amunas", the water-retention system is thought to have been devised by ancient people who lived in what is now the Huarochiri province some 1,400 years ago, before even the Incas, to prolong the rainy season's bounty.
The canals that furrow the mountain slopes reroute runoff to patches of permeable soil or rock where the water seeps in, filters through and replenishes aquifers before emerging in springs downslope weeks or months later, in drier times.
The practice is known as "sowing" water, to be harvested later, after the rainy season, when it is needed to nourish people, crops and livestock.
Known locally as amunas, the water-retention system is thought to have been devised by ancient people who lived here before even the Incas AQUAFONDO / Ivan LAIZA
More:
https://www.ibtimes.com.au/peru-pre-columbian-canals-offer-hope-against-drought-1707112
Wow!