Vijayanagara is a dry area. Therefore rulers took special interest in preserving the water and distributing it to the needy places. Vijayanagara is located in the Thungabhgdra River basin. This river flows into north eastern direction. There are beautiful rocky hills all around it. These fills surround the city. From these hills, many streams flow into Thungabhadra.
The rulers of Vijayanagara built dams across these streams. They also made provision to collect rain water and supply it to the cities. They also got many ponds dug to collect water during rains. The most important pond they made was Kamala puram Pond. It was made in the 15th century. Water from this pond was used for irrigation in the nearby fields. It was from this pond water was taken to the royal centre through small canals.
The most important irrigation work was the making of Hiria Canal. This canal took water from the dam built across Thungabhadra to different parts of the country. It was this canal that made irrigation possible in the fields of the valley that separates the ‘Holy Centre’ and the ‘City Centre’. This canal was built by the rulers of Sangama dynasty.