Professional Documents
Culture Documents
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Mesopotamia:
• Historical records show that the Mesopotamian Empire (3500 – 2500 B.C.) was the
first civilisation to formal address sanitation problems arising from community
living.
• There were no street drains of the kind were found in contemporary Mohenjo-daro.
•Drains and clay pipes were instead found in the inner courtyards of the Ur houses
and it is thought that house roofs sloped inwards and rainwater was channelled via
the drainpipes into sumps* in the inner courtyards.
There is evidence of very sophisticated drainage systems in the cities of the Indus
Civilisation.
The drainage systems were so big that a human would have been able to walk
through the middle of one.
This was really helpful because if the drain was blocked, the drain could be easily
accessed.
Fig: One of the first known toilets that was flushed with water is at the
palace at Knossos on the island of Crete
Romans
• The Romans were brilliant managers and engineers and their systems rivalled
modern technology.
•Rome’s water system is one of the marvels of the ancient world. Much is known and
has been written about Rome’s water supply, much less however about their sanitation
achievements.
• Although sewer and water pipes were not inventions of the Romans, since they were
already present in other civilisations, they were certainly perfected by the Romans.
•They resumed engineering works from others; they turned these concepts into major
infrastructure to serve all the citizens.
• As inventors of the first integrated water system from collection to disposal,
providing dual networks to collect spring water and dispose of storm and wastewater.
•They recycled wastewater from the spas, using it to flush latrines before discharging
the waste into sewers and then into the river.
The Britains:
• Water-related diseases are estimated to claim 3-7 million lives each year.
•This includes water-borne, water-washed, water contact diseases, as well as water
(insect) vector diseases - i.e. those associated with water habitat (e.g. malaria,
dengue)
Conservancy system:
• This is old system in which various types of wastes, such as night soil, garbage etc
are collected separately in a vessels or deposited in a pools or pits and then
removed periodically at least once in 24 hours.
• The conservancy system is highly unhygienic and causes insanitary condition.
• Transportation of night soil takes place in open carts through street and other
crowded localities, this is highly undesirable.
• The working of the system entirely depend on the mercy of labour if they go on
strike at least one day foul matter start creating smell which highly unhygienic.
• In present day world, when men has progressed much it is highly humiliating to
ask human being to transport night soil in pails on their head.
a. Advantages of Conservancy System of Sanitation
• In this system, collection and conveyance and disposal of various wastes re carried
out with the help of water.
• Thus water is used as a medium to convey the waste from its point of production to
point of final disposal.
• Sufficient quantity of water is required to be mixed with waste so that dilution ratio
is so great that the mixture may flow just like water. • This system is very hygienic as
night soil and other waste carried out through closed conduit which is not directly
exposed to atmosphere.
• There is no chance of outbreak of epidemic because files & other insect do not have
direct access to the sewage.
• The labour required for the operation and maintenance is extremely small.
• Initial cost of installation of this system is very high, the running cost are very
small.
WATER CONSUMPTION
PATTERN IN RURAL AND
URBAN SETTLEMENT
In its Guidelines for Drinking-Water Quality, WHO defines
domestic water as being 'water used for all usual domestic
purposes including consumption, bathing and food
preparation'
Gardening
Vehicle cleaning
Commercial and institutional
water consumption
Industrial consumption