The Urbanization of Water and Health from Ancient Civilization to Modern Times

Introduction: 

Life on earth is dependent on water, or the lack of it. If looked at history, human civilization was built in and around the availability of water resources. 

Here we have examined the impact of water on public health and understand what is the history of water. 

Farming and settlement expansion led to the beginning of the problems that mankind now faces: How to get drinking water for humans and animals, along with managing the waste we produce? The availability of large amounts of water has been considered an important aspect of human civilization throughout history. 

Let us understand the history of water on earth, with an emphasis on ancient civilizations and water and its initial urbanization, notably in India, Rome, and Greece, as well as the second, third, and fourth phases of urbanization of water. 

Early Systems and Innovations:

Humans have lived on this earth for about 200,000 years now, mostly as hunter-gatherers and gradually growing in numbers. Around 50,000 years ago modern humans began to inhabit every corner of the world and they were always on the move. Occasionally humans were concerned because of the pathogens which were transmitted through contaminated water, but the general disinclination for drinking water that tasted revolting, stank and looked disgusting developed quite early during the cultural and biological evolution of humankind. 

About 10,000 years ago, when humans adopted the agrarian way of life, mankind started establishing permanent settlements. This new phase was contagious and resulted in the growth of the human population in clustered areas. Eventually, sedentary agricultural life allowed humans to construct villages, cities, and states, all of which were mostly dependent on agricultural activities which are majorly dependent on water availability. This created a brand new relationship between humans and water. 

The earliest evidence of a water management system was seen in the Harappa Civilization, dating from approximately 2,5000 BC As agriculture was the central economic activity for the people in the Harappa civilization, an extensive network of reservoirs, wells, canals, as well as low-cost water-harvesting techniques were developed throughout the region at that time. 

Mohenjo-Daro and Dholavira, the two major cities of the Indus Valley, are some of the best examples of advanced water management systems and drainage systems. The Great Bath of Mohenjo-Daro of the Indus Valley is recognized as one of the earliest water tanks of the ancient era. 

The Inception

Ancient Ayurvedic masters recognized the importance of pure drinking water to maintain good health. Dating back 6,000 years, the Sanskrit writings describe early water treatment as: “Impure water should be purified by either being boiled over a fire, or heated in the sun or by dipping a heated iron into the water. The Susruta Sanhita, Sanskrit writings about medical concerns, dates from approximately 2000 B.C. and offers evidence of water treatment. 

 If the quality of the water did not meet their requirements, the Greeks and Romans employed several methods to improve it. Using settling tanks, sieves, filters, and boiling water were some of the procedures used in antiquity, according to written records and archaeological discoveries. At the very least, boiling water, which was extensively advocated by medical authors in antiquity, would have reduced the biological dangers associated with poor drinking water quality. Although boiling water was hygienic, it was not ecologically or economically feasible in general use because firewood and other combustibles would have become scarce in the Mediterranean sooner or later.

Second Stage

After the fall of the Roman Empire, water management and sewage systems witnessed fundamental changes in Europe. Castles, Medieval cities, and monasteries had their own wells, or fountains. Usually, towns had built a few modest latrines for the people, but these turned out to be inadequate because of the size of the population. And because of the lack of proper sanitation, there was a significant increase in the effects of epidemics in medieval towns in Europe. 

Fundamental changes began to emerge: science and knowledge were institutionalized for the first time in the 13th century with the establishment of modern universities, and the agrarian world began to industrialize in the 18th century. As a result, global population growth also soared.

This beginning of industrialization and the related growth of the cities created a situation where public health and environmental issues started to overwhelm the people and the government to a greater degree than before, and thus the novel technology was seen as the solution. In the 19th century, Great Britain was considered the forerunner of modern water supply and sanitation, but the innovation soon spread to Germany, other regions of Europe, the USA, and later elsewhere. 

Third Stage: Modern Infrastructure

The 1900s was an era of rapid population growth, with the world population nearly quadrupling and the urban population nearly tripling. Over half of the population in almost every country resided in urban areas by the year 2000 A.D. Water and sanitation services played a significant part in the world's fast socio-economic transformation.

At the initial stage of the 20th century, the health problems associated with water pollution seemed to have been resolved in the industrialized cities, when water treatment techniques such as chlorination were developed and employed. However, biological dangers transmitted by water resurfaced in the post-modern Western world in the late twentieth century. In the 1960s, concern about chemical and radioactive environmental risks and their effects on human health grew. During the final part of the twentieth century, the number of identified biological and chemical health dangers transmitted by water expanded dramatically. 

In the current times, around 10,000 people die every day globally due to overlying diseases like cholera, dysentery, and various other diarrhoeal diseases, caused because of the lack of clean drinking water and proper sanitation. However, because the majority of those who die are children and the elderly, whose deaths are considered "natural," or people who are more or less marginalized in their societies (e.g., refugees, the poor) or who live outside of economically important areas, mortality from waterborne diseases is all too often assumed to be unavoidable.

Fourth Stage: Future Challenges

The expansion of urban centers has been a constant and ever-escalating trend throughout history. Most of these centers are today located in developing economies, while the resulting consequences adversely impact the poorest people, as always. Poor living conditions, a lack of democracy, poor hygiene, illiteracy, corruption, and a lack of sufficient clean drinking water and sanitation facilities are among the most serious obstacles. These restrictions mostly affect women and children.

Today there is a worldwide shortage of drinking water. And thus, while making important decisions regarding water supply and sewerage, it is important to be open to making big investments. The services that are now at a high operational level did not come easily or without a lot of work. This is important to bear in mind while evaluating future possibilities and strategy requirements. 

In conclusion: 

Water is not just a commodity, but it is an economic and social good. This endows a major responsibility for its management in the public sphere. Balancing water use priorities, water quantity and water quality are of high importance for a sustainable future. While the water supply will continue to remain the first priority, water quality issues will have to be considered more important than water quantity. At the same time, we as individuals need to use water more wisely and avoid the wastage of this important natural resource.