Infrastructure
T
he history of Rome suggests
that classical Romans used
many different forms of
“engineering” to create and
maintain a relatively complicated
infrastructure. For instance, the
huge demand for water in the city
led Roman engineers to design
and erect aqueducts (that reached
almost 100 km, a great achievement
at that time) to bring over 800 litres
of water per day to the average
Roman citizen –in comparison,
despite nowadays sophisticated
lifestyle, residents of modern cities
could still enjoy a good life withjust
150 litres per capita per day.
This alone contributed significantly
to the improvement of hygienic conditions in the City of Rome; no more
excuses for not taking a daily bath as
they enjoyed the luxuries of Rome’s
public baths, and practisingopen defecationwas no longer tolerated as
they had public toilets equipped with
sinks. Moreover,abundance of running
water might have led to the “lifestyle”
of enjoying lush gardens adorned with
fountains and pools, now a lasting feature of the Roman civilisation that we
all are seeking to emulate and replicate
in our residences, especially in highincome suburbs.
What could have been the glory of the
City of Rome without its aqueducts and
roads?Well, this question will possibly
resonate with Henry Morton Stanley’s
declaration at the end of the 19th century: “Without the railroad, the Congo is
not worth a penny”, stated the famous
explorer, whom the locals so aptly surnamed “BulaMatari” (translated, “Breaker
of Rocks” or trailblazer).
More than a century later, it appears
that up to recently most African countries