#fotd1069

[afactaday]

#aFactADay2023

#1069: one of the key elements of the hydro-mentality of the Sri Lankan tank-cascade system is the closeness to the water source. emotionally, that is. the farmers see the water the whole way down, from the sky, through the tanks they built, through the channels they built, through the fields they ploughed. on the flip side, people in industrialised or urbanised areas only see the water come out of the tap, and their view towards water is more like a "resource", and they fail to see the fact that water is part of a larger environment and a larger cycle.

the TCS evolved in Sri Lanka under the influence of Buddhism, so the hydro-mentality has also been shaped by Buddhist teachings, which is also where the idea of Pratītyasamutpāda i talked about earlier comes in. traditionally, the local Buddhist monks play a role in the water management of a village as much as the farmers.