Editing Hydromanagement in Ancient India (section)

=== '''Sustainability of the Ancient Water Management System in the Modern Period''' ===
Even after the decline of rich medieval era kingdoms, many hydro management methods persisted over the middle ages and early modern centuries, despite repeated political upheavals caused by power transitions among several kingdoms and empires. In reality, a number of these polities maintained and even improved the medieval water collection infrastructure. In the north, where there existed a network of perennial Himalayan rivers with periodic floods and constant replenishment of groundwater, underground wells and baolis were favored even by the Rajput kings of the barren area. In South India, which had a semi-arid environment and low groundwater levels, a network of tanks, anicuts, and canals was constructed, and historic waterworks were often rebuilt. Continuing the legacy of the imperial Cholas, the Vijaynagara-Naiyaka dynasty adopted hydromanagement practices as one of several means of acquiring legitimacy. However, despite the expanded participation of the state in the building of several big waterworks, the management was often left to local committees and village authorities. Thus, along with corporate and public activities, there was community engagement, which was vital to the durability of these institutions across thousands of years. However, with the entrance of Britons numerous conventional institutions broke down, leading to the virtual elimination of the traditional management of waterworks. This was followed by an even more viscous trend of unplanned urbanization and unsustainable modernity (Agrawal, Narain.1997)<sup>1</sup>.