1The Master Builders of the Indus Valley
Imagine living in a city more than 4,000 years ago that was just as organized as a modern neighborhood! The Harappan people of the Indus Valley were incredible engineers who built their cities using a perfect grid system. This meant all the streets were straight and crossed each other at right angles, creating neat blocks for houses. Unlike many other ancient people who built houses wherever they liked, the Harappans followed a master plan that included something revolutionary: a way to get rid of dirty water without ever touching it!
2Secrets Under the Streets
What made these cities truly "smart" was what lay hidden beneath the ground. Almost every house in a Harappan city had its own private bathroom with floors made of waterproof, baked bricks. Dirty water flowed out of the house into small drains that connected to much larger sewer lines running under the main streets. These main drains were covered with flat stones or bricks to keep the smell away and the city beautiful. They even engineered the drains with a slight slope so that gravity would naturally pull the waste out of the city and toward the fields.
3Ancient Health and Hygiene
The Harappans were among the first people in history to understand that staying clean helps everyone stay healthy. To keep their amazing drainage system working, they built large brick manholes at regular intervals. This allowed workers to climb down and clean out any blockages, just like city workers do today! Because of this careful planning, Harappan cities were much healthier than most cities that came thousands of years later. Their smart drainage systems prove that even in ancient times, human beings were finding high-tech solutions to keep their communities thriving.
