Isn't that exactly what swales in permaculture practices intend to do as well? Did the permaculture community copy this from indigenous techniques perhaps?

> Like most modern cities, Lima relies on gray infrastructure like reservoirs and dams for water diversion and storage. Gray infrastructure alone, however, has its drawbacks. It is often expensive and challenging to implement. It also has a static threshold, unable to adapt to shifting environmental conditions.

> Natural (green) infrastructure can be much more dynamic and cost-effective than gray infrastructure. Green infrastructure is a broad category that can include planting native grasses to prevent erosion and maintaining wetland health to hold and filter water. Crucially, communities can use it in addition to the dams and reservoirs already in place, amplifying their effectiveness and providing a buffer when their threshold is exceeded.

This reminds me of a few articles I've seen in the last years about a German city that is trying to be better at coping with lots of rainfall by installing lots of green areas specifically designed to hold a lot of water, while at the same time reducing the heat island effect.