Water
From the beginning, water has furnished man with a source of food and a highway to travel upon. The first
16
arose where water was a dominant element in the environment, a challenge to man"s ingenuity.
The Egyptians invented the 365-day calendar
17
the Nile"s annual flooding. The Babylonians, who were among the most famous law-makers in ancient times, invented laws
18
water usage. Water inspired the Chinese to build a 1,000-
19
canal, a complex system which, after nearly 2,500 years, remains still practically
20
and still commands the astonishment of engineer.
But the
21
never found complete solutions to their water problems. The Yellow River is also known
22
"China"s Sorrow"; it is so unpredictable and dangerous
23
in a single flood it has caused a million
24
. Floods slowed the great civilization of the Indus River Valley, and inadequate drainage ruined
25
of its land.
Today water dominates
26
as it always has done. Its presence continues to
27
the location of his homes and cities; its violent variability can
28
man of his herds or his crops; its routes links him
29
his fellows; its immense value may
30
to already dangerous political conflicts. There are many examples of this in our own time.