[cm2187]

How does that differ from ancien Rome's aqueducts?

[Synaesthesia]

They're canals which feed into underground aquifers which then feed streams somewhere else.

[alephxyz]

Different time scales. Aqueducts are (mainly) used for transporting water. These things are used to store springwater in aquifers so that it slowly trickles out or can be pumped during the dry season.