Ancient Incan technology being used to harvest water to combat Peru’s crisis

Techniques used by servants of the Inca empire 500 years ago could be vital in accessing an increasingly scarce resource

Gregorio Rios, 74, oversaw the renovation of the vast network of canals above the town of San Pedro de Casta (Practical Action)

Techniques used by servants of the Inca empire to build canals 500 years ago are being resurrected in Peru to funnel much-needed water to remote mountain communities and the city of Lima below.

Gregorio Rios, 74, oversaw the renovation of the vast network of canals above San Pedro de Casta, a town 3,000 metres above sea level in the South American country’s Huarochiri district.

The canals were built centuries ago by the Yapani ethnic group, using clay and rocks ingeniously compressed over a long period of time.