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IAPMO ’ s annual Scholarship Essay Competition
Of all the IAPMO Group ’ s core competencies , which division do you feel is making the greatest impact , and why ?
In today ’ s age , we are surrounded by modern miracles : dazzling cellphones buzzing away in countless pockets ; lightning-fast fibre optic internet connections transporting the whole of human knowledge at the click of a finger ; and an endless supply of goods and services that can be delivered to your front door in two days or fewer ( with Prime shipping , of course ). Living in a world in which we are constantly being inundated by all of these sorts of conveniences , one can be forgiven for overlooking the more humbling marvels that lie right under one ’ s nose . Or should I say one ’ s bathroom tile ? I speak of the engineering achievement that is our modern plumbing system .
This system has laid the foundation for the success of today and the future , a golden age in which people live longer and better lives , free of the diseases of the past , to pursue advancements in a variety of disciplines . But like much innovation , progress was a slow journey that took many years of hard work before it became a commonplace standard . The International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials , otherwise known as IAPMO , has been in existence since 1926 . From its humble beginnings of only 39 members , it has grown into a major global organisation with specialisations ranging from sanitation to solar energy . But of these many core competencies that make up IAPMO , I believe its most important division involves the organisation ’ s initial purpose : the Uniform Plumbing Code . system with clay-lined cisterns for drinking water and a sewer system . In their capital city , the ruins of which reside in modern-day Pakistan , lie the remnants of an extensive plumbing architecture that provided indoor plumbing to the entire city , nobles and peasants alike .
Their brilliance would not be rivaled until the Romans another 2 000 years later . Indeed , we got the word ‘ plumber ’ from the Romans , derived from the Latin plumbarius , referring to a tradesperson who worked with lead to create the pipes that would transport water throughout Rome and its farreaching territories . The Romans had an obsession with fountains — their cities were full of them — but naturally fountains require a great deal of water , which is a problem for a landlocked city . So , they used their mastery of engineering to do the impossible : they brought running water from the Alps to the metropolis of Rome . Incredibly , many of their plumbing inventions , including the impressive aqueducts found all over Europe and their vast sewer systems , are still operational in some areas today . These marvelous feats made Rome the central power and envy of the ancient world . But alas , these wonders would disappear along with the fall of the Roman Empire . Without proper sanitation methods , Europe would be plunged into the Dark Ages , marked
Russ Chaney
In the spirit of the sharing of unique experiences that shape the plumbing industries in our respective nations , the following essay won first place in IAPMO ’ s annual Scholarship Essay Competition . First introduced in 2009 and open to all high school , university , and trade school students , the competition has elicited entries from across the world . Written by David Barry of Georgia Gwinnett College in Cumming , Georgia , it is the next in a regular series of similar articles that will be run in this magazine .
To truly understand the magnitude of the Uniform Plumbing Code , one must examine the history that led to its creation . While we usually consider plumbing to be a recent amenity , truth is , the concept of moving water for sanitation and drinking purposes is not a new one . Every story must have a beginning , and plumbing found its beginning in China around 5000 BCE . Although the specifics are hazy , as is often the case in ancient history , we believe the earliest form of plumbing was constructed from bamboo pipes . It ’ s hard to know the level of sophistication , but they were most probably the very first . It would be nearly 2 000 years later that another ancient civilisation , the Harrapans of the Indus Valley , would take this concept and create an elaborate
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www . plumbingafrica . co . za March 2017 Volume 23 I Number 1