Sanitation of the Indus Valley Civilisation facts for kids
The ancient Indus Valley Civilization was a huge civilization in what is now eastern Pakistan and northern India. They were super good at building things, especially systems for water and cleaning. They had some of the first known water supply and sanitation systems in the world!
Contents
Amazing Water Systems of the Indus Valley
Homes and City Planning
Most houses in the Indus Valley were built from mud, dried mud bricks, or clay bricks. These bricks were all made in a standard size. The cities had public and private baths for people to use. Many buildings in a city called Mohenjo-daro even had two or more floors! They also had smart drainage systems to take waste out of the city.
The first signs of city cleaning systems were found in Harappa, Mohenjo-daro, and Rakhigarhi. These cities had the world's first city-wide cleaning plans. Inside the cities, homes got their water from wells.
People used tools like shadoofs and sakias to lift water from the ground. Stepwells, which are like big wells with steps going down, were also used a lot in this area.
Many houses had a place to wash and a special toilet hole. People would flush these toilets by pouring a jar of water down the pipe. This water came from the house's well. The water and waste went into a shared brick drain. This drain led to a soak pit, which collected the waste. These pits were cleaned out regularly. The solid waste might have been used as fertilizer for plants. Most houses also had their own private wells. The City walls around the towns helped protect them from floods.
Super Smart Drainage Systems
Cities like Mohenjo-daro in Sindh and Dholavira in Gujarat had some of the most advanced sewage systems from the ancient world. They included special channels for drainage, ways to collect rainwater, and pipes under the streets.
Waste water went through underground drains made of carefully placed bricks. They also had a clever system to manage water with many storage areas. Drains from houses connected to bigger public drains along the main streets. These drains had holes every so often. These holes were used for cleaning and checking the pipes. Water from bathrooms on roofs and upper floors flowed through clay pipes or open chutes. These pipes emptied into the street drains. The Indus Valley's amazing drainage system was used over 4,500 years ago!
Mohenjo-daro: A City with Many Wells
Mohenjo-daro, in Sindh, Pakistan, is one of the best-studied cities from this civilization. The Great Bath was a very large public pool. It might be the first of its kind from such an old time. This ancient city had more than 700 wells! Most houses in Mohenjo-daro had at least one private well. The "Great Granary" was the biggest building in Mohenjo-daro. It shows that people stored a lot of grain there.
Dholavira: Water Storage Experts
Dholavira, in Gujarat, India, was active from about 3000 to 1500 BC. This city had many water storage tanks and step wells. Its water management system was truly "unique." Dholavira had at least five baths. One of them was as big as the Great Bath in Mohenjo-daro.
Lothal: Clever Waste Management
Lothal, in Gujarat, was used from about 2350 to 1900 BC. When scientists dug up the city, they found two wells. One was in the main part of the city, and the other was near the dock. More than a dozen houses in the main city area had their own bathing places. These baths drained into a covered sewer made of bricks. This sewer emptied into a pit outside the city wall. A large house in the main city had a bathing area with a toilet. This toilet drained into a separate open drain that went into the city's dock. The lower part of the city had many "soak pots." These were large jars buried in the ground with a hole at the bottom. They let liquids drain away and were cleaned regularly.
Images for kids
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The Great Bath, Mohenjo-daro was a large public pool.
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An old water well found in Lothal.
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A water reservoir with steps in Dholavira, India.
See also
- Ancient water supply and sanitation
- History of water supply and sanitation
- Ancient water conservation in India
- History of stepwells in Gujarat
- Sanitation in ancient Rome
- Important water resource topics of India
- Indus Valley Civilization
- Indus Valley Civilization architecture
- List of Indus Valley Civilisation sites
- List of inventions and discoveries of the Indus Valley Civilisation
