The Story of Clean Running Water


The Story of Clean Running Water
The Story of Clean Running Water
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If you have ever wondered why you can simply turn on your kitchen tap and fill a glass of water when thirsty, yet certain people in the world literally lose their children to diseases like typhoid and E.coli, all because they don’t have access to clean running water, then definitely read further. This article will explain, in part at least, the vast undertaking that is creating and sustaining a reliable water distribution network. 

What Did Rome Ever Do for Us?

The aqueduct! No, seriously, this isn’t just a quote from Monty Python’s The Life of Brian; aqueducts were a staple throughout the Roman Empire, as well as other ancient civilizations, upon which nearly all modern water networks are still based. 

The Roman aqueduct worked by bridging natural reservoirs of water with settlements with an ever so slight reducing gradient throughout, allowing the water to naturally cascade downward toward where it needed to go. When water had to be lifted to higher elevations, mechanical devices, like water wheels and towers, were used to raise it, as well as pressurize the water in key areas by adjusting the gradient of the water flow. 

The Romans also used textiles to filter their water before directing it into drinking fountains throughout their cities. All water drains then led directly into a vast sewer network, which was used for flushing out all kinds of waste.  

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Modern Incarnations

The modern water network is virtually identical to the Roman one, right down to the use of lead pipes – bar the difference of using electrical pumps instead to elevate the water in key locations more efficiently. 

These pumps sometimes come in the form of devices like Albin peristaltic pumps. Peristaltic pumps are useful for transferring fluids where there needs to be a reduced risk of cross-contamination, for example, in water treatment processing. The other major differences are in the chemical consistency of the water, with additives like chlorine sometimes added to purify any biohazards.

Maintaining Such a System

The interconnectivity of water supply is not only its greatest asset but also its greatest weakness. All water networks that are not closed systems are highly interdependent, so a problem with one part of the network inevitably affects another. 

Problems a long way up the chain of distribution similarly multiply disruption to a community’s water supply as a result. Then, there is the weather; in the winter, extreme cold can freeze pipes or cause them to fracture, while in the summer, extreme heat can lead to draught, creating both higher demand for water as well as reduced supply.  

Why Some People Don’t Have Clean Running Water

It comes down to simple economics. In a community where people save up for months to buy a bicycle just so they can get their crops to market, there simply aren’t the funds for local authorities to tax enough to be able to afford the vast industrial infrastructure required to produce what you can drink at the flick of a tap. 

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Charities like Water Aid do what they can, but really, the only solution to bringing clean running water to everyone who needs it is to sort out the disparities of wealth in the global economy – something which neither capitalism nor socialism has ever succeeded in doing. 


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