The 10,000 Years of Clean Water
June 14, 2024
4 min read
Content
It is impossible to imagine life without water; thus, this vital factor is expected to influence our lifestyle, civilization, culture, and technology. From ancient times to present, our search and need for clean water has been a relentless pursuit accompanied by significant innovations, breakthroughs, and drawbacks. The historical journey from mankind’s earliest records has progressed with our survival instincts, evolving from ancient water treatment methods to advanced filtration and purification techniques.
Ancient Civilizations and Early Water Management (c. 6000 BC - 476 AD)
Today, The Fertile Crescent region is considered the cradle of civilization. This crescent-shaped region, which includes present-day northern Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, northern Kuwait, southeastern Turkey and western Iran, is where many essential improvements such as agriculture, urbanization, architecture, etc. began. . It is no coincidence that this area is regularly flooded by the Tigris, Euphrates, and Nile rivers.
The history of drinking water also started in the region where civilization was born. Known for their ingenuity, Ancient Egyptians boiled water and used clay pots to purify water as early as 1500 BC. Another tremendous ancient civilization, Babylonia, which also arose in the Fertile Crescent region around 1800 BC, successfully developed canal systems and filtration techniques to manage water needs efficiently.
Fast-forward to more modern times. Ancient Rome was built around the river, and the Tiber River, like many other great civilizations, set new standards in the engineering and architecture of water treatment. Eleven aqueducts supplied Rome with 750 liters of clean water per person per day. Even today's modern countries cannot match that level. In ancient Rome, clean water was essential. The Pope's name, Pontiff, also comes from the Latin pontifex, meaning bridge builder. These early water management systems are also the first practices to reduce the spread of waterborne diseases.
A Setback in the Dark Ages (476 AD - 800 AD)
After the fall of the Roman Empire, the Dark Ages brought a decline in many things, including sanitation, public health, and water management systems. Ancient buildings were never improved and were abandoned. This led to some of Europe's worst epidemics, such as cholera and typhus. Later, inadequate sanitation caused one of the most fatal pandemics in history. Bubonic plague, or the Black Death, killed more than 50 million people and nearly 50% of Europe's population.
Science Leads the Way (1800s)
The 19th century is considered a new era approaches to water purification. Rapid scientific advances and technological developments have changed our perspective on waterborne disease. In the 1860s, French scientist and chemist Louis Pasteur published his groundbreaking germ theory. This work not only provided vital information about the microbial world but also led to chlorination in the late 1800s. The introduction of chlorination was a milestone in reducing diseases such as dysentery, giardia, hepatitis A, cholera and typhoid. The modern history of clean water also begins in the early 1800s. Scottish engineer John Gibb developed a filter made of earthen materials to purify large quantities of water.
Advances in the 20th Century (1900s)
The importance of sanitation, public health, and water treatment was well recognized in the 20th century. Developments during this period led to improved filtration methods and access to large quantities of high-quality water. Effective water management solutions also improve public health and environmental integrity.
Water Treatment in Modern Times
Ensuring access to clean water for all is the most pressing need of our time. While embracing modern methods, we have maintained our traditional values of sustainability and public health and optimized the use of technology to address the challenges we face. In the context of water pollution and the global water scarcity, our goal is to find the most innovative alternative ways to ensure the availability and purity of water for all communities. By integrating advanced filtration technologies, ecological water management practices, and community education programs, we aim to address water security and pollution issues and their causes, ultimately providing a sustainable basis for future development.
A Legacy of Innovation: Purunity
Contaminated and poor quality water consumption is one of the many underlying causes of diseases today. Cholera, diarrhea, dysentery, hepatitis A, polio, and typhoid fever can be caused by contaminated drinking water. Heavy metals in untreated water can cause poisoning and damage the nervous system and organs. For these reasons, the importance of access to clean and high-quality water has not changed from the past to the present.
In the history of water filtration systems, which is as old as mankind, Purunity uses high standards for innovation and commitment to deliver state-of-the-art water filter systems for dedication to health, sustainable water solutions, and customer wellbeing. By developing the latest technologies, Purunity continues to improve the legacy of water management and ensure the pursuit of the future of clean water.
Throughout the ages, clean water has been a challenge to human ingenuity and compassion. From the very first engineers in Ancient Egypt to modern scientists, the collective commitment to the clean water crisis has improved exponentially, even with some major drawbacks. Contact us today for more information on accessing natural, pure, and pristine water.
Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK234165/
https://ancientengrtech.wisc.edu/ancient-egypt-water-technologies/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5535692/
https://ngwa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/gwat.12958
https://www.iwapublishing.com/news/brief-history-water-and-health-ancient-civilizations-modern-times
https://blogs.umb.edu/buildingtheworld/waterworks/aqueducts-of-rome-italy/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Death
https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/fertile-crescent/#
https://archive.epa.gov/water/archive/web/pdf/2001_11_15_consumer_hist.pdf
