Water Supply Systems: Past, Present Challenges, and Future Sustainability Prospects

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 () and Nicholas Dercas
Additional contact information
Andreas N. Angelakis: School of History of Culture and Environment, Hubei University, Wuhan 430061, China
Andrea G. Capodaglio: Department of Civil Engineering & Architecture, University of Pavia, Via Adolfo Ferrata, 3, 27100 Pavia, Italy
Rohitashw Kumar: College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, SKUAST-Kashmir, Srinagar 190025, India
Mohammad Valipour: Department of Engineering and Engineering Technology, Metropolitan State University of Denver, Denver, CO 80217, USA
Abdelkader T. Ahmed: Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Islamic University of Madinah, Madinah 42351, Saudi Arabia
Alper Baba: Department of International Water Resources, Izmir Institute of Technology, 35430 Izmir, Türkiye
Esra B. Güngör: Department of Civil Engineering, Izmir Institute of Technology, 35430 Izmir, Türkiye
Laila Mandi: National Center for Studies and Research on Water and Energy, Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakech P.O. Box 511, Morocco
Vasileios A. Tzanakakis: Department of Agriculture, School of Agricultural Science, Hellenic Mediterranean University, 71410 Iraklion, Greece
Nektarios N. Kourgialas: Water Resources-Irrigation & Environmental Geoinformatics Laboratory, Institute of Olive Tree, Subtropical Crops and Viticulture, Hellenic Agricultural Organization (ELGO DIMITRA), 73134 Chania, Greece
Nicholas Dercas: Natural Resources Management and Agricultural Engineering Department, Agricultural University of Athens, 11855 Athens, Greece

Land, 2025, vol. 14, issue 3, 1-49

Abstract: 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.

Keywords: water history; landscape planning; urban development; sustainable development; water supply; water distribution (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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