Plumbing Is A Foundation Of Modern Civilization

By Chloe Gib


Two kinds of plumbing are necessary for society to function normally. One is a network of pipes that provide fresh water for both homes and businesses, and the other is a system that carries human waste to sewage recycling facilities. If either network becomes dysfunctional, urban life becomes dysfunctional or even impossible.

One of the hallmarks of successful ancient civilizations was the ability to provide those services. The ancient Greeks developed hot and cold running water supplies, and the Roman Empire is still greatly admired for its systems of aqueducts, fountains, and baths that were unrivaled until a few hundred years ago.

Regions that still lack these basics commonly suffer high levels of water-borne diseases, disproportionately affecting young children. Contaminated water is responsible for shockingly high infant mortality rates, but decrease dramatically when water supplies are sanitized and open wells are routed into safer pumps and storage tanks.

Europe did not reach the Roman standards for hundreds of years after the Empire collapsed. Medieval cities were not only noted for their rats, but also for the prevailing stench of raw sewage dumped into street gutters, and flowing into fresh supplies. The clean, modern Europe of today could not exist without its complex pipe and sewage systems.

Until relatively recently, homes in some rural American regions infamous for long-term poverty lacked indoor water pipes or toilets. Conditions have improved in many of these locations in the past half-century, and even the most isolated regions now require new residences to have access to clean water supplies, and a sewer or septic hookup for waste.

When your pipes spring a leak or the toilet needs fixing, the certified technician that does the work is not only helping make your own quality of life better, but is playing a part in keeping a modern community alive and well. Without modern plumbing services and maintenance, most big cities would begin to collapse within a few days.




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