Sanitizing Heritage—Hydraulic Water Supply and the Erosion of the Traditional Water Management System in Colonial Bombay City (1860–1947)

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 123-140
Author(s):  
Madhu Kelkar

The traditional urban water management systems of Bombay (Mumbai) city consisted of tanks and wells constructed by charitable people of all creeds. But the entry of hydraulic engineering techniques, via the construction of Vihar Lake in 1860, ostensibly to supply pure and plentiful water heralded their doom. The modern but intrinsically flawed water supply system, unplanned urban development and the ensuing insanitation aggravated cholera and malaria epidemics, endemic to the city, threatening its imperial trade. This, and the desire to create sanitized colonies through town planning, encouraged Bombay municipality to attack the city’s tanks and wells, vilified as sources of pollution, despite protests of the local people. Based on an examination of archival sources, this article traces the history of colonial Bombay’s water management policy from 1860 and examines its impact on the city’s water inheritance, up to Indian independence in 1947. It aims to raise awareness levels about the potential importance of the surviving heritage, at a time when the spectre of insanitation and water scarcity haunts Mumbai.

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 618-628 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. N. Angelakis ◽  
D. S. Spyridakis

The evolution of urban water management in ancient Greece begins in Crete during the Middle Bronze and the beginning of the Late Bronze Ages (ca. 2000–1500 B.C.) when many remarkable developments occurred in several stages as Minoan civilization flourished on the island. One of its salient characteristics was the architectural and hydraulic function of its water supply and sewerage systems in the Minoan Palaces and several other settlements. These technologies, though they do not give a complete picture of water supply and wastewater and storm water technologies in ancient Greece, indicate nevertheless that such technologies have been used in Greece since prehistoric times. Minoan water and wastewater technologies were diffused to the Greek mainland in the subsequent phases of Greek civilization, i.e. in the Mycenaean, Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic and Roman periods. The scope of this article is the presentation of the most characteristic forms of ancient hydraulic works and related technologies and their uses in past Greek civilizations.


2010 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
J. L. Manuszak ◽  
M. MacPhee ◽  
S. Liskovich ◽  
L. Feldsher

The City of Baltimore, Maryland is one of many US cities faced with challenges related to increasing potable water demands, diminishing fresh water supplies, and aging infrastructure. To address these challenges, the City recently undertook a $7M study to evaluate water supply and treatment alternatives and develop the conceptual design for a new 120 million gallon per day (MGD) water treatment plant. As part of this study, an innovative raw water management tool was constructed to help model source water availability and predicted water quality based on integration of a new and more challenging surface water supply. A rigorous decision-making approach was then used to screen and select appropriate treatment processes. Short-listed treatment strategies were demonstrated through a year-long pilot study, and process design criteria were collected in order to assess capital and operational costs for the full-scale plant. Ultimately the City chose a treatment scheme that includes low-pressure membrane filtration and post-filter GAC adsorption, allowing for consistent finished water quality irrespective of which raw water supply is being used. The conceptual design includes several progressive concepts, which will: 1) alleviate treatment limitations at the City's existing plants by providing additional pre-clarification facilities at the new plant; and 2) take advantage of site conditions to design and operate the submerged membrane system by gravity-induced siphon, saving the City significant capital and operations and maintenance (O&M) costs. Once completed, the new Fullerton Water Filtration Plant (WFP) will be the largest low-pressure membrane plant in North America, and the largest gravity-siphon design in the world.


Author(s):  
Dora P. Crouch

Persons with some knowledge of the Athenian acropolis are likely to be aware of the very early Mycenaean spring in the north-northwest quadrant, and of the still flowing Klepsydra Spring at the northwest corner, as well as remember stories about Poseidon’s salt spring adjacent to the Erechtheum. Yet to connect the presence of water on the Acropolis with the urban history of Athens has not been explicitly done to date, even though the Acropolis has been the focus of settlement from earliest times until today. It is the purpose of this section to set out what is known about water utilization at the Athenian Acropolis, thereby suggesting firm ecological reasons why settlement should have taken place on and near the Acropolis (Fig. 18.1). Travlos’ map series of the city of Athens (1960) centered on the Acropolis show us that this hill has always been the focus of settlement, a fact well known to the ancient Athenians themselves (Thucydides, 2:15.3– 6). I suggest that not only the defensive capabilities of the Acropolis but specifically its water supply made it the logical choice of location for groups who intended to live securely and to dominate the region. The number and diversity of water sources here is impressive. In each era it has been necessary to cope with the water that occurred naturally and to save for later use the rain and spring waters that drew settlers to this rocky outcropping. Let us note the locations of water on the Acropolis at several levels, with references to published accounts of some of the features and descriptions (based on surface reconnaissance and discussion with experts) of those for which I have not been able to find such accounts. Discussion of the geology of the Acropolis will be found with the paragraphs about the salt spring. After this topographical discussion, we will look briefly at the chronology of water on the Acropolis, followed by a concluding discussion of urban history. Immediately to the left of the Propylaea, inside the Acropolis wall, are rectangular cisterns dug into the rock of the surface, with rock-cut drainage channels leading to them from the central pathway.


Author(s):  
Baba Adamu ◽  
Ndi Humphrey N. ◽  
Balgah Sounders N.

Water supply system has played a significant role in the growth, development and wellbeing of cities. Until now, meeting the need of city residents in terms of availability, reliability, and access to a good quality water supply is a major challenge facing many denizens of the 21st Century due to unprecedented urban growth and urbanization rates. This study is out to examine the current issues and challenges to water supply systems in Limbe. The study adopted the mix method approach which involves triangulation of quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection. Primary data were obtained from field observations, interviews and the administration of 383 questionnaires to households and stakeholders. Secondary data were obtained from relevant official documents, published and unpublished sources relevant to water supply systems. Satellite imageries and ArcGIS were used to describe the pattern of growth in built-up areas between 1986 and 2019. Data from the questionnaire were entered using Epi Data Version 3.1, analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Science Standard version 21.0 and Microsoft Excel and presented in the form of tables, figures, plates and maps. Findings revealed that, although the water supply accessibility by utilities has improved significantly, the reliability, distribution, flow frequency, supply, price and quality are still low. The inaccessibility and unreliability in the water supply have turned most households to alternative sources with poor quality. Unsustain urbanization and urban growth are occurring through infills in city remaining open spaces and ‘out spill’ and expansion at the outskirt without a concurrent increase, upgrading or extension of water supply infrastructural systems resulting to congestion, conflict over allocation, long-distance trekking to source water, deterioration of basic social services, pollution, inaccessibility amongst to ensure efficient water supply systems and sustainable urban water management. The paper, therefore, calls for the rehabilitation and renovation of dilapidated water supply structures, extension and upgrading basic services, limit urbanization and urban growth, encourage the construction and use of alternative water sources, community participation amongst others for sustainable urban water supply management.


Author(s):  
Sergei G. Bocharov

The article covers the main points of the town-planning history of Karasubazar, the city of the Crimean khanate, and, most importantly, offers a graphic reconstruction of its master plan for the last quarter of the 18th century, the final stage of the state’s existence. Reconstruction of the historical topography of the late medieval city was carried out for the first time on the basis of three types of sources – written, cartographic, and archaeological. All the basic elements of the city’s historical topography as well as the plan of quarterly residential development and a network of streets are reconstructed. Characteristic features of the location of the quarters inhabited by the Greek, Armenian and Jewish population among the main population of the Tatar inhabitants are revealed. City mosques, bathhouses, fountains supplying the citizens with water, hotels-caravanserais, shopping malls, and production workshops are localized. It is found out that Karasubazar was the second largest settlement in the state, its capital Bakhchisarai being the largest one. By the final stage of the Crimean khanate’s existence the area of the urban development of Karasubazar was 109.0 hectares


2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (47) ◽  
pp. 192-200
Author(s):  
T. G. Chala ◽  
◽  
O. I. Slavuta ◽  
G. S. Korepanov ◽  
D. I. Chernenko ◽  
...  

The article aims at substantiating the theoretical and methodological foundations for creating a unified statistical indicators system and statistical analysis of the water resources management at the city level. The advantages of using standardized indicators in the field of sanitation and water supply at the city level are identified and characterized in accordance with ISO 37120: 2014 «Sustainable cities and communities – indicators of urban services and quality of life». Both the main and auxiliary indicators of urban services and quality of life on «Water and sanitary conditions» and «Sewage» topics are systematized as for their formulas, application features and data sources. It is established that, according to the Water Risk Filter, Ukraine can be divided into four regions depending on the water risk, namely, low, moderately medium, medium, and high water risk levels. Based on these data, such cities from the Global Register of Cities developed by the World Council on City Data (WCCD) were selected: Amsterdam (Netherlands), Barcelona (Spain), Dubai (United Arab Emirates), Guadalajara (Mexico). Their indicators in the field of sanitation and water supply were analyzed. It is established that these cities are characterized by a high level of water supply and sewerage services, as well as a fairly high level of the access to high-quality sanitary and hygienic conditions. The situation with quality indicators of water management is worse. For example, advanced waste treatment is only carried out in Dubai. In Guadalajara, 21% of urban wastewater is not treated at all. It is established that in general, Dubai is the leader in the quality of water supply and sanitation services, while Guadalajara is the outsider city, showing the lowest quality levels of most of the studied indicators. The national system of indicators is suggested to be expanded by including such an indicator as «Average annual duration of water supply outages per 1 household»


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 148-155
Author(s):  
Vasily D. FILIPPOV

Two projects of the Linear City, which appeared at the beginning of the 20th century, in the United States, regardless of the project implemented earlier in Spain by Arturo Soria, are described. The technical and town-planning features of the Roadtown project by Edgar Chembless and the social ideas underlying it are given. The reasons for the failure of this project, as well as similar projects that appeared later, are analyzed. The history of the project of Milo Hastings and his idea of a linear concentration of dwellings in the city are given. Although this project was also not implemented, the reasons why its town-planning ideas found application in the post-war construction of the American suburb and social ideas in the New Deal of President Franklin Roosevelt are shown.


2006 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
P.J. Binning ◽  
M.B. Hauger ◽  
M. Rygaard ◽  
A.M. Eilersen ◽  
H.J. Albrechtsen

Copenhagen currently relies on imported groundwater for its drinking water supply, but must become less reliant on external resources in future. A set of 9 scenarios for future water supply and waste water management are developed with the aim of making Copenhagen’s water supply entirely self sufficient. The scenarios are based on an analysis of current and past societal perceptions, mega trends and a catalogue of world’s best practice in urban water management. An initial screening of the scenarios is conducted by comparing them with a reference scenario (the current water supply) for the most important criteria. Perceptions, mega trends and evaluation criteria were identified by a stakeholder workshop. The scenarios that appear most promising are: central recirculation delivering water from a desalination and recycled grey water plant; a green city that relies on rainwater for supply and wastewater is separated and treated locally; a market driven water supply delivering various qualities of water and having separating sewage streams; and a local technological society where high tech treatment is used to produce and treat water within a neighbourhood.


Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 785 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olivia Jensen ◽  
Sreeja Nair

Integrated Urban Water Management (IUWM) has emerged in the past two decades as a promising approach to the application of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) principles at the city-level. IUWM is expected to contribute to the achievement of multiple policy objectives, often including increased water security. This paper uses a case-based approach to study the impact of IUWM on water security, focusing on the influence of the level of institutionalization of IUWM within water governance at the city-level. Process tracing is applied to the cases of Singapore and Hong Kong, in which IUWM has been adopted but implementation and outcomes have diverged. We find that the depth of institutionalization, a difference between the two cases identified at the outset, has contributed to the achievement of better water security outcomes in Singapore as it has facilitated the development and implementation of a more far-reaching strategy. A supportive governance framework appears to amplify the impact of IUWM on progress towards water security and other policy targets.


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