PLUMBERS – SAVING THE WORLD FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS!

Did you know that the first toilets were developed in the Indus Valley? Or that more than 2,800 years ago, Romans had a complex sewer system?

Plumbing is as old as civilisation – unsurprising, really, considering the old adage “when you gotta go, you gotta go!” From ancient times to the modern age, plumbing has aimed to decrease disease and increase comfort.

We’ve compiled a list of three of the most important developments in plumbing history that will show that there’s much more to plumbing than blocked drains, taps and toilets.

On this World Plumbing Day, read on to see how plumbing breakthroughs have changed the world!

WATER HYGIENE: LIFE SAVING STUFF

We all shudder at the thought of drinking murky, smelly, and generally dirty water. But it’s not just a gross idea – it’s also lethal.

Water hygiene, and access to safe drinking water, is a challenge plumbers around the world have faced since ancient times.

From the first loos (see below) onwards, there has been a battle between preserving drinking water and water for cleaning as distinct from the needs of removing sewage. One in eight people don’t have access to clean water!

Some great strides are being made in this! Charities and organisations like Oxfam promote accessibility to safe drinking water in developing countries. Often, this involves water purification projects and education about the dangers of mingling sewage with drinking water.

Have you heard of the famous Oxfam bucket? This simple – but impressive – invention allows the collection of drinking water into a bucket with a lid and a tap – meaning contamination of the water is much less likely.

Education and sustainable water usage are key here – plants such as mangroves serve as natural water purifiers, as do sea grasses.

Protecting the natural environment protects our access to safe water! This in turn saves millions of lives – with 900 million people globally living without water, it’s creative, inventive plumbing that we can turn to when we need to save the day!

THE HUMBLE TOILET

We often forget how lucky we are to live in a time and place with flushing toilets. For the majority of humans throughout the better part of history, this hasn’t been an option!

Now, the surprising bit here is that they were really a very early invention – the ancient cities of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro had flush toilets in pretty much every house. Knossos, in Crete, and Skara Brae in Orkney similarly had flushing toilets.

The modern loo dates back to the 19^th century. Many advances have been made since – now you can even get a “smart toilet” – one that plays music while you do your business!

Even cooler – there are even waterless toilets being built in the developing world that can produce power from human waste.

For such a basic invention, the loo really does have great importance. Connecting to a sewer rather than leaving refuse in a receptacle – or, worse still, the street – means preventing the growth of harmful or dangerous bacteria.

The spread of bacteria such as e-coli, common in the bowels but dangerous when in contact with other organs, is more likely where flushable, safe toilets are not available.

Organisations around the world work with local plumbers to install toilets, maintain them, and innovate them – finding creative and culturally appropriate solutions to loo hygiene.

Waterless toilets, and toilets that turn waste into energy, are becoming more and more viable as a step towards the future! Plumbers, once again, saving the day.

BATHS – PUBLIC OR PRIVATE?

There’s nothing like the feeling of being clean. No one enjoys being caked in grease and dirt! The modern bath is a place to relax, unwind, and wash off the worries of the day – the perfect place for some “me time”.

It’s a bit weird, then, that historically bathing was something of a communal activity. In Japan, public bath houses or “sentō” are a decisively public affair. Evolving from religious and spiritual practice, these communal baths are a large feature of historical hygiene culture in Japan.

This is in part due to the costs of installing or making baths. Industrial societies, with the associated economic growth, were able to produce more baths at a lower cost than other developing economies.

So, it became common in Western Europe to have a bath or shower in the house – while in other parts of the world, it’s still something of a rarity – especially in parts of the developing world.

Hygiene saves lives and promotes comfort. Inventors and plumbers work together to realise new solutions to commonplace problems.

By reducing bacteria on the human body, the spread of common diseases can be limited. Also, who doesn’t want to feel “washed”? Or are we at Plumber To The Rescue just a bunch of clean freaks?