From the marvels of ancient hydraulics to the challenges posed by climate change, water has always been the determining factor in the comfort, health and well-being of European societies. Globally, it’s a precious resource that’s as essential to cities as it is to the health of each one of us.
Care City | The urban water adventure: history, hygiene and modernity
Published 10.07.24
5 mins read
Water-driven urbanism: Roman ingenuity and the birth of the European city
The history of water and cities is a fascinating tale whose ups and downs have shaped the urban environment from Antiquity down to the present day. Europe occupies centre-stage in this adventure, and it’s here that the close ties between water, hygiene, well-being and comfort formed. Water is essential to sustain life, and in Europe, the first settlements emerged along watercourses and at springs. The Romans - visionaries in their time - built aqueducts and fountains to bring water to where none was available. It was the next phase in our increasingly complex relationship with water. The following centuries failed to build on the example of the Romans, however, and cities were dirty, insalubrious places right down to the 18th century. People simply threw their wastewater and excrement out of their windows, leaving it to fester in the narrow, congested street below. The consequences for public health were manifest: the period was marked by regular outbreaks of epidemics such as bubonic plague. And it’s this reality that lies behind the stereotype of the Middle Ages as a hygiene-free epoch. One in which mortality rates were higher in the city than in the country.
The sanitary revolution and the emergence of the modern sewage disposal system
Things finally began to change at the end of the 19th century. With the industrial revolution came an exodus to the cities, and water - most precious resource of all - became a major public health issue. By the 1880s, major cities like Paris and Barcelona were developing modern water supply and sewage disposal systems. Thanks to this sanitary revolution, any number of epidemics were averted and mortality rates fell as life expectancy grew. After the war of 1939-45, Europe’s cities expanded and modernized. It was the advent of the urban comfort revolution. But the story doesn’t end here. It’s no longer enough to bring water to where it’s needed. We also have to ensure it’s available on a continuous basis, and at consistent standards of quality.
Water management and climate change
Sustainable management of water resources is crucial if we’re to guarantee public health and maintain the high standards of living we’re accustomed to. Technologies that enable the re-use of wastewater and advanced water quality surveillance help keep the water issue at the top of our list of urban priorities. In cities, climate change can often remind us how important water is, when we appreciate the cool of a fountain or a glass of tap water on a particularly hot day.
But the history of water in cities is much more than an account of progress in the developed nations. In many regions of the world, water remains a precious resource and some people have very, very little of it: which is a reminder to the rest of us that even in the 21st century, access to water is a crucial issue. For many people, water is not merely a question of comfort but a fundamental necessity, and a decisive factor in the health and daily lives of communities.
Water: a resource at the heart of city life
The historic evolution of urban water utilities is a complex tableau combining technological progress, the quest for well-being and the challenges particular to different regions of the globe. This history continues to shape our appreciation of water as an element essential to city life, and underlines the importance of equitable access to a resource that’s fundamental to all of us. The changing relations between water and urban life clearly illustrate the role water has played in the development of hygiene, health and the emergence of modernity.
Supervision and evaluation: the key to efficient water and wastewater management in cities
Egis partnered SABESP, a Brazilian company specializing in wastewater management, in a project designed to survey and evaluate its service contracts from February 2022 to June 2024. The objective: to assess the condition of infrastructure, and make continuous improvements to optimize the resources of SABESP teams and subcontracted construction projects. This included electromechanical maintenance, and the expansion and upkeep of water supply and wastewater management systems in several municipal districts on the coast near São Paulo.
One of the particular objectives of the project was to improve not only the quality of the maintenance services provided by external companies, but also the working environment and safety of employees, both SABESP and external. A major obstacle was the absence of initial inspection data on the quality of the services provided, which meant the teams of SABESP and subcontractors had to undergo many training sessions on safety and methods.
Egis helped consolidate monthly reports by inspection teams on the ground, improve workplace safety through inspections and corrective actions, evaluate the services of subcontractors and SABESP personnel, oversee trench-filling operations, and check the service reports of subcontractors. All these efforts produced a significant increase in the quality of maintenance services and employee safety, with over 7000 maintenance interventions evaluated in two years. The results were impressive: a 54% increase in the quality of service right from the first month of the project, rising to 82% by the end of the project in 2024. These figures illustrate the positive impact of Egis on the quality of service and employee safety, with concomitant reductions in repair work and complaints by consumers.
Xavier LazennecDirector Water & Energy
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