--- title: "Water supply system and historical development" subject: "Water Supply Engineering" chapter: 1 key: "semester_5/water_supply_engineering:ws-historical-development" source: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_5/water_supply_engineering/ws-historical-development site: BCT Engineering --- # Water supply system and historical development Water Supply Engineering · Chapter 1: Introduction - Asked in: 2072 Chaitra, 4 marks - Video: [EVOLUTION OF WATER DISTRIBUTION - How water system evolve from 4000 BC to Present](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLa6rSoXovc) — evolution - Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort) on 2026-10-14 - Page: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_5/water_supply_engineering/ws-historical-development - Whole chapter: https://www.bctengineer.com/md/semester_5/water_supply_engineering/chapter-1 ## Question What do you understand by water supply system? Describe its historical development. ## Short answer Water supply system is the complete set of works (source, intake, treatment, transmission, storage, distribution) delivering adequate quantity, quality, pressure. Historically: ancient wells and Roman aqueducts; medieval decline; 17th-18th century cast iron pipes and steam pumps; 19th century slow sand filtration and germ theory; 20th century coagulation, chlorination, WHO standards. Nepal had stone spouts, piped supply from 1891 AD. ## Answer A **water supply system** is the complete set of works (source, intake, treatment, transmission, storage and distribution) that collects water from a source and delivers it to consumers in adequate quantity, of adequate quality and at adequate pressure. #### Historical development - **Ancient period:** Early settlements grew along rivers, lakes and springs. People used hand-dug wells and carried water in pots. The Indus Valley civilisation (Mohenjo-daro, about 2500 BC) had wells and covered drains. - **Roman period:** Aqueducts brought water by gravity over long distances to cities; lead and masonry pipes, public baths and fountains were used (about 300 BC to 200 AD). - **Middle Ages:** Water supply and sanitation declined in Europe, and outbreaks of disease were common. - **17th to 18th century:** Cast iron pipes and steam pumps came into use, and cities such as London and Paris built piped supplies. - **19th century:** Slow sand filtration was introduced (Paisley, Scotland, 1804; London, 1829). John Snow showed in 1854 that cholera spreads through water, and Pasteur and Koch established the germ theory. Rapid filtration began in the late 1800s and chlorination in the early 1900s. - **20th century:** Chemical coagulation, mechanical filters, ozone and UV treatment were developed, along with national and international (WHO) drinking water standards. - **Nepal:** Ancient stone spouts (hiti or dhunge dhara) supplied water in the Kathmandu valley. Piped supply started in 1891 AD (1948 BS) under Bir Shumsher, with the Bir Dhara. Later the Nepal Water Supply Corporation (1990) and Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited (2008) were formed. Rural schemes expanded under the Department of Water Supply and Sewerage and during the International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade (1981 to 1990). ## Check yourself The answer's key points as multiple-choice questions, with the correct option and why. 1. What did John Snow show in 1854? A. Slow sand filters work B. Cholera spreads through water C. Chlorine kills germs D. Aqueducts carry water Answer: B. John Snow showed in 1854 that cholera spreads through water. (Key point: Germ theory) 2. How did the Romans bring water to cities? A. Steam pumps B. Cast iron pipes under pressure C. Aqueducts by gravity over long distances D. Hand-carried pots Answer: C. Roman aqueducts carried water by gravity over long distances. 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