ABSTRACT
Attempts to live according to the availability of water and develop and manage water have been made from the earliest times. Settlements took place along rivers, lakes, and ponds. Dug wells and tanks were constructed for drinking water and irrigation. Fields along rivers were inundated by transferring water to irrigate the crops. Canals were constructed for irrigation. Some large storage works were undertaken with the support of benevolent kings, but they were rare. Management of water has been important ever since Ashoka’s edicts in the fourth century BC were brought out.
