Overview of wastewater management through the ages

Lack of sanitation affects human development to the same or even greater extent than the lack of clean water. However, many areas of the world, both developed and developing, lack suitable information on water management. As societies moved from nomadic cultures to creating permanent communities, wastewater disposal became an important concern. Throughout the centuries, civilizations have dealt with the issue of sanitation in many different ways and with varying degrees of skill and knowledge. Modern theories about sanitation, public health and disease transmission were only developed during the 19th century. However, some early cultures did understand that wastewater had to be managed and furthermore could be used beneficially. Due to a stigma that has characterized wastewater through the centuries, there are very few records documenting wastewater transport and treatment and these subjects are often omitted from archaeology and historical research and thus, forgotten. This paper describes the history of wastewater management from early civilizations with little or no regulations until modern times with stringent environmental standards.