basin system

irrigation

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June 22, 2026

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Basin irrigation is a method where land is surrounded by embankments to create a basin, which is then flooded with water. This technique was historically used in Egypt, utilizing the annual Nile flood to deposit rich silt onto fields, allowing for one crop per year. While effective, this method was dependent on flood levels and has largely been replaced by perennial irrigation systems that allow for controlled water application throughout the year. Irrigation, in general, is the artificial application of water to land to support agriculture, either by supplementing rainfall or making arid land usable.123

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history of technology
Irrigation
…early learned the technique of basin irrigation, ponding back the floodwater for as long as possible after the river had receded, so that enriched soil could bring forth a harvest before the floods of the following season. In the Tigris-Euphrates valley the irrigation problem was more complex, because the floods…
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…early learned the technique of basin irrigation, ponding back the floodwater for as long as possible after the river had receded, so that enriched soil could bring forth a harvest before the floods of the following season. In the Tigris-Euphrates valley the irrigation problem was more complex, because the floods…
Read More

Nile River
Irrigation
…traditional method emerged, known as basin irrigation. Under this system, the fields on the flat floodplain were divided by earth banks into a series of large basins of varying size but some as large as 50,000 acres (20,000 hectares). During the annual Nile flood, the basins were flooded and the…
Read More
…traditional method emerged, known as basin irrigation. Under this system, the fields on the flat floodplain were divided by earth banks into a series of large basins of varying size but some as large as 50,000 acres (20,000 hectares). During the annual Nile flood, the basins were flooded and the…
Read More