Peru: Ancient Inca technology being used to harvest water

Techniques used by servants of the Inca Empire five hundred years ago to build canals are being revived in Peru to bring much-needed water to remote mountain communities and the city of Lima below.

The canals were built centuries ago by the Yapani ethnic group using mud and stones that were artfully compacted over a long period.

The local community used to use concrete to build new, modern canals, but this stifled plant growth, affected the local ecosystem and decayed after only ten years. The Yapani canals, on the other hand, are more than five hundred years old.

New canals built using the old techniques could last more than one hundred years if constructed properly. They are also permeable; water is filtered, and plant roots help anchor the structure.

Manuel Rios, whose work is supported by Warwickshire-based charity Practical Action, explained, “Our ancestors built the canals with stones and clay. This knowledge has been lost, and it is in our interest to recover it. We must take control of the management of water for crops. All this is happening thanks to the knowledge of our ancestors.”

The locals seized the opportunity to rebuild the canals. It took thirty workers from the city four months to restore them. Most of the community is involved in the project because local crops such as avocados, apples, and corn depend on it.

“Practical Action” supported the community by working with local leaders to organize volunteer labor and helped finance the transportation of construction materials and people to the upland areas where springs and small lakes originate. It also provides simple rain gauges to measure rainfall and predict flooding further down the river basin.

Access to water in Lima, Peru’s capital, is particularly difficult. It is the second driest city in the world, and glaciers in the Andes are melting at an alarming rate due to the climate crisis. The techniques used by Rios could prove to be a vital weapon as water becomes increasingly scarce, especially in remote communities.

With information from Latina Press

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