India, Feb. 20 -- The Indus Civilisation's hygiene and sanitation standards were millennia ahead of their time and provide valuable knowledge on public health as well as urban planning. Hailed as the "ancient world's most superior plumbing", in some ways it transcended even the plumbing methods that would later be generated by the Roman Empire. Development in sanitation has enabled people to coexist in cities with less risk to their health as compared to the past. Especially, the safe disposal of effluent to prevent the water supply from contamination has indeed proved to be a revolutionary innovation.

The fact that the city of Mohenjodaro alone had about 700 wells speaks volumes about the premium placed on the availability of clean wate...