ABSTRACT
Although water is a renewable resource and we use little more than 10% of the total precipitation surplus for public water-supply, irrigation, and industrial processes, its availability is restricted through an uneven distribution, both in time and space. In this respect, there is no essential difference between ancient times and the present day; society has always experienced problems with water: too little, too much, too variable, too polluted. Over more than 6000 years mankind has tried to manage these water problems: by intervening in its natural courses through redistribution, storage, and regulation, to accommodate their requirements for irrigation, drainage, flood protection, drinking water, sanitation, and power generation.
