The Effect of Water on the Prevalence of Communicable Diseases in Shiraz

For a long time, in different periods, Shiraz water was supplied from wells, aqueducts (qanat) and springs, which were generally open and hence got polluted in different ways on its way to the residential area. The consumption of these polluted waters resulted in the outbreak of infectious and contagious diseases, at times, killing a lot of people. Mohammad Namazi, having faced with the issue of unhealthy drinking water and consulted various specialists, found that the unsanitary drinking water was responsible for most gastrointestinal diseases as well as contagious diseases. In addition to constructing educational and health facilities, Namazi decided to develop a proper piping system for drinking water. At that time, even in the capital of Iran, there was not such a system. The present descriptive study, together with the library research method by scrutinizing local papers and newspapers, aims to first address the effect of the contaminated waters on the spread of contagious diseases and then the role of water piping system in reducing diseases in Shiraz. Research findings show that water supply and sanitation are important in reducing diseases such as typhoid, typhus, cholera and many waterborne diseases.