Water Supply Systems: Past, Present Challenges, and Future Sustainability Prospects
At the beginning of human history, surface water, especially from rivers and springs, was the most frequent water supply source. Groundwater was used in arid and semi-arid regions, e.g., eastern Crete (Greece). As the population increased, periodic water shortages occurred, which led to the developm...
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2025-03-01
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| author | Andreas N. Angelakis Andrea G. Capodaglio Rohitashw Kumar Mohammad Valipour Abdelkader T. Ahmed Alper Baba Esra B. Güngör Laila Mandi Vasileios A. Tzanakakis Nektarios N. Kourgialas Nicholas Dercas |
| author_facet | Andreas N. Angelakis Andrea G. Capodaglio Rohitashw Kumar Mohammad Valipour Abdelkader T. Ahmed Alper Baba Esra B. Güngör Laila Mandi Vasileios A. Tzanakakis Nektarios N. Kourgialas Nicholas Dercas |
| author_sort | Andreas N. Angelakis |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | At the beginning of human history, surface water, especially from rivers and springs, was the most frequent water supply source. Groundwater was used in arid and semi-arid regions, e.g., eastern Crete (Greece). As the population increased, periodic water shortages occurred, which led to the development of sophisticated hydraulic structures for water transfer and for the collection and storage of rainwater, as seen, for example, in Early Minoan times (ca 3200–2100 BC). Water supply and urban planning had always been essentially related: the urban water supply systems that existed in Greece since the Bronze Age (ca 3200–1100 BC) were notably advanced, well organized, and operable. Water supply systems evolved considerably during the Classical and Hellenistic periods (ca 480–31 BC) and during the Roman period (ca 31 BC–480 AD). Also, early Indian society was an amazing vanguard of technology, planning, and vision, which significantly impacted India’s architectural and cultural heritage, thus laying the foundation for sustainable urban living and water resource management. In ancient Egypt, the main source of freshwater was the Nile River; Nile water was conveyed by open and closed canals to supply water to cities, temples, and fields. Underground stone-built aqueducts supplied Nile water to so-called Nile chambers in temples. The evolution of water supply and urban planning approaches from ancient simple systems to complex modern networks demonstrates the ingenuity and resilience of human communities. Many lessons can be learned from studying traditional water supply systems, which could be re-considered for today’s urban sustainable development. By digging into history, measures for overcoming modern problems can be found. Rainwater harvesting, establishing settlements in proximity of water sources to facilitate access to water, planning, and adequate drainage facilities were the characteristics of ancient civilizations since the ancient Egyptian, Minoan, Mohenjo-Daro, Mesopotamian, and Roman eras, which can still be adopted for sustainability. This paper presents significant lessons on water supply around the world from ancient times to the present. This diachronic survey attempts to provide hydro-technology governance for the present and future. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0ebec7b4e27b47768f4a4d24d7cd2014 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-0ebec7b4e27b47768f4a4d24d7cd20142025-08-20T01:48:41ZengMDPI AGLand2073-445X2025-03-0114361910.3390/land14030619Water Supply Systems: Past, Present Challenges, and Future Sustainability ProspectsAndreas N. Angelakis0Andrea G. Capodaglio1Rohitashw Kumar2Mohammad Valipour3Abdelkader T. Ahmed4Alper Baba5Esra B. Güngör6Laila Mandi7Vasileios A. Tzanakakis8Nektarios N. Kourgialas9Nicholas Dercas10School of History of Culture and Environment, Hubei University, Wuhan 430061, ChinaDepartment of Civil Engineering & Architecture, University of Pavia, Via Adolfo Ferrata, 3, 27100 Pavia, ItalyCollege of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, SKUAST-Kashmir, Srinagar 190025, IndiaDepartment of Engineering and Engineering Technology, Metropolitan State University of Denver, Denver, CO 80217, USADepartment of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Islamic University of Madinah, Madinah 42351, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of International Water Resources, Izmir Institute of Technology, 35430 Izmir, TürkiyeDepartment of Civil Engineering, Izmir Institute of Technology, 35430 Izmir, TürkiyeNational Center for Studies and Research on Water and Energy, Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakech P.O. Box 511, MoroccoDepartment of Agriculture, School of Agricultural Science, Hellenic Mediterranean University, 71410 Iraklion, GreeceWater Resources-Irrigation & Environmental Geoinformatics Laboratory, Institute of Olive Tree, Subtropical Crops and Viticulture, Hellenic Agricultural Organization (ELGO DIMITRA), 73134 Chania, GreeceNatural Resources Management and Agricultural Engineering Department, Agricultural University of Athens, 11855 Athens, GreeceAt the beginning of human history, surface water, especially from rivers and springs, was the most frequent water supply source. Groundwater was used in arid and semi-arid regions, e.g., eastern Crete (Greece). As the population increased, periodic water shortages occurred, which led to the development of sophisticated hydraulic structures for water transfer and for the collection and storage of rainwater, as seen, for example, in Early Minoan times (ca 3200–2100 BC). Water supply and urban planning had always been essentially related: the urban water supply systems that existed in Greece since the Bronze Age (ca 3200–1100 BC) were notably advanced, well organized, and operable. Water supply systems evolved considerably during the Classical and Hellenistic periods (ca 480–31 BC) and during the Roman period (ca 31 BC–480 AD). Also, early Indian society was an amazing vanguard of technology, planning, and vision, which significantly impacted India’s architectural and cultural heritage, thus laying the foundation for sustainable urban living and water resource management. In ancient Egypt, the main source of freshwater was the Nile River; Nile water was conveyed by open and closed canals to supply water to cities, temples, and fields. Underground stone-built aqueducts supplied Nile water to so-called Nile chambers in temples. The evolution of water supply and urban planning approaches from ancient simple systems to complex modern networks demonstrates the ingenuity and resilience of human communities. Many lessons can be learned from studying traditional water supply systems, which could be re-considered for today’s urban sustainable development. By digging into history, measures for overcoming modern problems can be found. Rainwater harvesting, establishing settlements in proximity of water sources to facilitate access to water, planning, and adequate drainage facilities were the characteristics of ancient civilizations since the ancient Egyptian, Minoan, Mohenjo-Daro, Mesopotamian, and Roman eras, which can still be adopted for sustainability. This paper presents significant lessons on water supply around the world from ancient times to the present. This diachronic survey attempts to provide hydro-technology governance for the present and future.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/3/619water historylandscape planningurban developmentsustainable developmentwater supplywater distribution |
| spellingShingle | Andreas N. Angelakis Andrea G. Capodaglio Rohitashw Kumar Mohammad Valipour Abdelkader T. Ahmed Alper Baba Esra B. Güngör Laila Mandi Vasileios A. Tzanakakis Nektarios N. Kourgialas Nicholas Dercas Water Supply Systems: Past, Present Challenges, and Future Sustainability Prospects Land water history landscape planning urban development sustainable development water supply water distribution |
| title | Water Supply Systems: Past, Present Challenges, and Future Sustainability Prospects |
| title_full | Water Supply Systems: Past, Present Challenges, and Future Sustainability Prospects |
| title_fullStr | Water Supply Systems: Past, Present Challenges, and Future Sustainability Prospects |
| title_full_unstemmed | Water Supply Systems: Past, Present Challenges, and Future Sustainability Prospects |
| title_short | Water Supply Systems: Past, Present Challenges, and Future Sustainability Prospects |
| title_sort | water supply systems past present challenges and future sustainability prospects |
| topic | water history landscape planning urban development sustainable development water supply water distribution |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/3/619 |
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