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This book surveys the intersections between water systems and the phenomenology of visual cultures in early modern, colonial and contemporary South Asia. Bringing together contributions by eminent artists, architects, curators and scholars who explore the connections between the environmental and the cultural, the volume situates water in an expansive relational domain. It covers disciplines as diverse as literary studies, environmental humanities, sustainable design, urban planning and media studies. The chapters explore the ways in which material cultures of water generate technological and aesthetic acts of envisioning geographies, and make an intervention within political, social and cultural discourses. A critical interjection in the sociologies of water in the subcontinent, the book brings art history into conversation with current debates on climate change by examining water's artistic, architectural, engineering, religious, scientific and environmental facets from the 16th century to the present.This is one of the first books on South Asia's art, architecture and visual history to interweave the ecological with the aesthetic under the emerging field of eco art history. The volume will be of interest to scholars and general readers of art history, Islamic studies, South Asian studies, urban studies, architecture, geography, history and environmental studies. It will also appeal to activists, curators, art critics and those interested in water management.

The hydraulic heritage and water culture in Ibero-America result in a man-made cultural landscape, century after century, where the legacies of several peoples are superimposed. Water is here an element of landscape differentiation and constitutes, therefore, as a distinctive mark in the territory and local memory. The approach to the theme of water from the patrimonial point of view as a material and immaterial good, whose cultural manifestations, derived from its use and application by the peoples, require efforts for its conservation and diffusion. In this context, this work intends to understand the past, present and future of Water Heritage and Culture in its interrelationship with multiculturalism and to promote the investigation of the processes of constitution of memory, identities and local values in Ibero-America.'Claiming water as a world heritage and also as a fundamental human right'is a statement included in the European Union's 2000 Water Framework Directive which serves as a motivation in the presentation of this work highlighting the patrimonial nature of water associated with culture of the people. Water as patrimony is an inexhaustible subject of studies that exceeds the pretensions of this work. The approach to the theme of water from the patrimonial point of view as a material and immaterial good, whose cultural manifestations, derived from its use and application by the peoples, require efforts for its conservation and diffusion. This work will be supported by the research characterized by the difficulty to find the information and to deepen the knowledge related to the water heritage and culture. The explanation lies in the scarcity of materials elaborated on this subject and the difficulty in accessing the respective files and sources. The cultural heritage associated with water is immense. There are innumerable objects associated with water heritage, not least the offices of those who work with this resource in traditional occupations, which only remain in the memory of older people or in cultures that keep their traditions alive. For centuries, human intervention has harnessed the resources and natural environments related to water, resulting in a series of high-quality heritage elements that contain important cultural, environmental, landscape and socio-economic values. The consideration of water as heritage includes both material culture: objects, technologies, places, infrastructures... and the immaterial culture that has been appearing throughout history. Water forms part of the territory. It determines the so-called landscapes of water, defined by the physiognomy of the territory with its natural and anthropogenic elements linked to the emotions that awaken its contemplation. Water landscapes have gained notoriety and, at times, exclusive spatial prominence, given that they are cultural footprints present in many of the municipalities of the Ibero-American countries that are still less well perceived and considered by social collectives. The development of a civic conscience on the conservation of water heritage and culture, which presses to declare them as goods of Community interest and to include them in the heritage of the Ibero-American regions, is therefore absolutely necessary and falls within the scope of this work.

An in-depth look at the changing approaches that environmentalists, governments, and the open market have taken to water through the lens of world history. When we turn on the tap or twist open a tall plastic bottle, we probably don't give a second thought about where our drinking water comes from. But how it gets from the ground to the glass is far more convoluted than we might think. In this revised edition of Drinking Water, Duke University professor and environmental policy expert James Salzman shows how drinking water highlights the most pressing issues of our time. He adds eye-opening, contemporary examples about our relationship to and consumption of water, and a new chapter about the atrocities that occurred in Flint, Michigan. Provocative, insightful, and engaging, Drinking Water shows just how complex a simple glass of water can be.“A surprising, delightful, fact-filled book.” —Jared Diamond, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Guns, Germs, and Steel “Instead of buying your next twelve-pack of bottled water, buy this fascinating account of all the people who spent their lives making sure you'd have clean, safe drinking water every time you turned on the tap.” —Bill McKibben, author of Earth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet “Drinking Water effortlessly guides us through a fascinating world we never consider. Even for people who think they know water, there is a surprise on almost every page.” —Charles Fishman, bestselling author of The Big Thirst and The Wal-Mart Effect “Salzman puts a needed spotlight on an often overlooked but critical social, economic, and political resource.” —Publishers Weekly

Turn on the faucet, and water pours out. Pull out the drain plug, and the dirty water disappears. Most of us give little thought to the hidden systems that bring us water and take it away when we're done with it. But these underappreciated marvels of engineering face an array of challenges that cannot be solved without a fundamental change to our relationship with water, David Sedlak explains in this enlightening book. To make informed decisions about the future, we need to understand the three revolutions in urban water systems that have occurred over the past 2,500 years and the technologies that will remake the system. The author starts by describing Water 1.0, the early Roman aqueducts, fountains, and sewers that made dense urban living feasible. He then details the development of drinking water and sewage treatment systems—the second and third revolutions in urban water. He offers an insider's look at current systems that rely on reservoirs, underground pipe networks, treatment plants, and storm sewers to provide water that is safe to drink, before addressing how these water systems will have to be reinvented. For everyone who cares about reliable, clean, abundant water, this book is essential reading.

Water is something we take for granted; whether from tap or bottle, we rarely think about its source. But its journey to our glasses is more complicated than we realise. With a booming worldwide population, where will our water come from in the future? And is it safe to drink tap water? Is bottled water wasteful? Drinking Water explains the overlooked and surprising history of drinking water - from Biblical conflicts to overpriced mineral water. You will never look at your glass in the same way again.