How Did Irrigation Start?

Evidence has proved the existence of irrigation in Egypt and Mesopotamia even in the 6th millennium BC. There is proof that ancient Egyptian pharaohs back in the twelfth dynasty had used as a reservoir the lake of the Fayûm. Thus they stored excess water so they could use it during the dry seasons. They could do so because the lake swelled every year due to the yearly

The Qanat is one of the oldest known methods of irrigation. It was developed in ancient Persia and is still used even today. Ancient Sri Lanka had some of the most complex systems of irrigation of the ancient world. The sinhalese built major irrigation schemes in order to support the agriculture that was thriving at the time.

There have been many such places around the world that show signs of ancient irrigation systems. For instance the Indus Valley Civilization in both Pakistan and North India (circa 2600 BC) had a canal irrigation system.