Social Impact

 

The impact of water systems on human life and society is enormous. Water acquisition and distribution systems are unquestionably among the most important technologies that humans possess. Although water systems are typically ignored and taken for granted, they enable myriads of other technologies and activities within human societies. Here is but a brief overview of a few of the areas that are heavily dependent upon water technologies.

 

 

Civilization

As was stated in the page about History, agriculture enabled the beginning of human civilization by enabling the formation of permanent settlements, and irrigation was key to the success of agriculture. Additionally, aqueducts were essential to supply cities with sufficient water as they grew too large to be supported by local water sources. Therefore, irrigation and aqueducts enabled human civilization to grow and spread on a much larger scale than would have been possible without such technologies, and they are just as vital today as they were at the dawn of civilization.

 

Health and Sanitation

Clean water is essential for good health. As was mentioned in the page about Aqueducts, many of the diseases that plagued the people of the Middle Ages were waterborne, spreading via contaminated water supplies. Aqueducts are especially useful in many cities today due to their ability to bring in clean water from outside sources that have not been contaminated by the runoff and pollution of the city.

Water also plays a very important role in waste removal. A city of 10 million people simply would not fare well without flushing toilets to remove wastes from the immediate surroundings of the people.

 

Comfort and Luxury Fountains and swimming pools in the midst of cities would be impossible without a reliable source of water. Additionally, lawns and sporting fields could not be kept green in the middle of the summer without a good water supply and an understanding of proper irrigation practices.