History of water supply and sanitation

Ever since the emergence of sedentary societies (often precipitated by the development of agriculture), human settlements have had to contend with the closely-related logistical challenges of sanitation and of reliably obtaining clean water. Where water resources, infrastructure or sanitation systems were insufficient, diseases spread and people fell sick or died prematurely. Major human settlements could initially develop only where fresh surface water was plentiful—for instance, in areas near rivers or natural springs.

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