This picture shows a Mesopotamian irrigation system. Click here for the link.
irrigation systems
During the spring, rain and melted snow flowed into the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, causing them to flood without warning. If the floods came after the farmers had planted their crops, the baby plants would be washed away. For the rest of the year, the sunbaked soil was "dry and hard as stone". (History Alive Textbook).
Either the Sumerians had too little water, or too much. So, they began creating irrigation systems to provide waters for their fields. They built earth walls, called levees, along the sides of the river to prevent flooding. When the land was dry, they poked holes in the levees. The water flowed through the levees into the fields of crops. The Sumerians also dug paths to shape the way the water traveled. By using these irrigation systems, the Sumerians were able to control the water, and make sure it could reach all their crops.
Either the Sumerians had too little water, or too much. So, they began creating irrigation systems to provide waters for their fields. They built earth walls, called levees, along the sides of the river to prevent flooding. When the land was dry, they poked holes in the levees. The water flowed through the levees into the fields of crops. The Sumerians also dug paths to shape the way the water traveled. By using these irrigation systems, the Sumerians were able to control the water, and make sure it could reach all their crops.