An integrated sewerage system is one of the most important yardsticks in the history human civilisation. In Paris, France, the idea of an integrated sewerage system was coined, or promoted, by King Philippe Auguste when he ordered drains to be built along roadsides in the city during his reign in the 13th century to channel household wastes into the river. However, the open-drain system was found disastrous as it contributed to the rapid spread of the bubonic plague in 1346 which believed to have wiped out up to 60% of Europe’s population. It took 150 years for the continent’s population to recover. The cleaner and more effective solution was developed by a man called Bruneseau, under the rule of Napoleon Bonaparte, construction of which took seven years from 1805 and 1812. Bruneseau also disinfected and purified the entire network of the subterranean sewer. In 1850, Victor Hugo further improvised the system as he separated the underground passage of sewage and drinking water using techniques made possible following the industrial revolution.
In London, the introduction of flush-toiled backfired as it overwhelmed cesspits, London’s primitive and inefficient sewerage system. This has led to two major black spots on London’s history; the widespread of Cholera disease and the infamous Great Stink. Addressing the gravity of the situation and to avoid the shame these civil blunders could bring to the ‘greatest empire in the world’, the Parliament decided to built a network of enclosed sewer as proposed by a civil engineer, Joseph Bazalgette in 1895.
Many major European countries followed suit and the ingenious technology was later introduced all over the world. The integrated sewerage system provided people with comfort and convenience. It also helped technological advancement. For instance, Elisha Otis’s invention of safety elevators would have been left in vain had occupants still had to travel to the ground to answer nature calls or Londoners still yelling “out the window” to rid their biological discharge.
Quite amazing the sewerage system, really. Developed in 1800s and until today, the basic concept of leveraging on water flow and gravity still works perfectly. The breakthrough, however, is always forgotten. We treat it as if it had always been there; as if nobody had to suffer or even die before it was perfected. It seems, many is taking it for granted and some is going backwards against the flow of civilisation.
Now, to the point I’m to make. In my line of work, i get to visit a number of office buildings to meet clients and most of the time I would meet with the top management of large corporations. Typically, the elite group (those holding higher position) would occupy the higher floor of the building while the working class; lower. As the meetings require high level of focus and professionalism I would hit the loo before the meetings commence. There seems to be a strong correlation between cleanliness of toilets and class of people utilising it. The executive floors are always clean while the working class ones, more often than not, covered in filth. Same apply to airplane lavatories. Business and First class WCs are always cleaner than those of coach.
I began to question. One: Did the likes of CEOs and CFOs become aware of toilet ethics, personal hygiene and common courtesy after they made their way up the corporate ladder? Or two: was it their in-built toilet ethics, personal hygiene and common courtesy that propelled their success? I think it’s the later. What do you think?
You can argue on volume and frequency of cleaning. But it’s not about numbers. It only takes one irresponsible bastard to spoil the comfort of an efficient sewerage system for everyone.
