By the turn of the 20th century, elephants were still distributed over much of the island. The area currently known as Ruhuna National Park was the "Resident Sportsmen's Shooting Reserve", an area reserved for the sporting pleasure of British residents in the country. In the early 20th century, mega reservoirs were constructed in the dry zone for irrigated agriculture. Ancient irrigation systems were rehabilitated and people resettled. This development gathered momentum after the independence in 1948. As a result, elephant habitat in the dry zone was severely fragmented.