Since ancient times, the need for healthy water has resulted in the development of various kinds of water supply systems. From early history, civilizations have developed water purification devices and treatment methods. The necessity for fresh water has influenced individual lives as well as communities and societies. During the last two hundred years, intensive and effective efforts have been made internationally for sufficient water quantity and quality. At the same time, human life expectancy has increased all over the globe at unprecedented rates. The present work represents an effort to sketch out how water purity and life expectancy have entangled, thus influencing one another. Water properties and characteristics have directly affected life quality and longevity. The dramatic increase in life expectancy has been, indisputably, affected by the improvement in water quality, but also in other concomitant factors, varying temporally and spatially in different parts of the world throughout the centuries. Water technologies and engineering have an unequivocal role on life expectancy. In some cases, they appear to have taken place earlier than the progress of modern medicine. Among these, improved sanitation, personal hygiene, progress in medicine, and better standards of economic living have played the greatest roles.

Since the late 1800s, the source selection – surface water or groundwater – for urban water supply has faced several policy changes in Finland. First, groundwater was favored. In 1920, driven by cost and reliability issues, one major city turned to surface water which was a sourcing determination for the country. After WWII, groundwater gradually gained preference motivated by reliability, including managed aquifer recharge since 1970. Instead of identified policy decisions, this shift was based on accumulated strategy. Since the 1980s security issues have favored groundwater while environmental concerns manifest themselves controversially. As a sub-study, treated lake water and groundwater were tasted by 167 persons of whom 86% preferred the latter. An additional expert survey (n=14) showed several benefits for groundwater. Combining these findings, groundwater has several advantages over surface water for Finnish urban water. Yet, for the futures, we need to keep both water sources in as good condition as possible.

Water-driven music technology has been one of the primary sources of human leisure from prehistoric times up until the present. Water powered, along with air pressure organs, have been used throughout history. One of them was an organ of fountains located inside a formal garden. Throughout ancient mythology, several different gods have been linked to music in many civilizations, in particular, Minoa, Mehrgarh, and Gandhara. Water deities were usually significant amid civilizations located next to a sea or an ocean, or even a great river like the Indus River in Pakistan, the Nile River in the Middle East or the Ganga River in India. These fountains performed a wide range of songs from Classical to contemporary Arabic, and even included other worldly music. The study of water-driven music technology demonstrates the diachronic evolution and the revelation that ancient people had impressive knowledge of the engineering needed for water exploitation and manipulation. This revelation is still both fascinating and intriguing for today’s water engineers. This paper also shows the relationship between water in nature and music, and furthermore, how nature has inspired composers throughout history. This research shows the sustainability of different kinds of water-driven musical instruments, not only through their use in past centuries, but their relevance in music therapy and other purposes of today. This study is useful for researchers in the fields of history, music, engineering and sustainable development.

Urban water services can be considered a part of municipal services, including the technical solution from water source to water treatment and distribution, and also wastewater collection, treatment, and discharge back to natural waters. The main aspect is how comprehensive water services concerning the whole society should be considered in urban development. This article emphasizes the necessary role of water services in community technical services and analyzes its critical functions. To keep urban water services on a sound environmental and health level even in externally or internally changing situations is considered sustainable and resilient. In our study, we used sequential PESTEL SWOT analysis to review the results of previous studies. The conclusions and recommendations are based on practices and governance of urban water services in Finland. Furthermore, the significance of water services for the economic development of a community cannot be ignored.

History shows how water is a key driving force in development and communities. Sustainable Development Goal 6, “Clean Water and Sanitation,” shows the priority of water services while water also connects many other development sectors. The chapter analyzes international water collaboration after the Second World War, professional associations, the role of the UN, wider views on water management, and long-term policy trends. In spite of the increased global efforts there are still 2.1 billion people without safely managed water services, 4.5 billion people lack safely managed sanitation, and almost one billion have to practice open defecation. Since earlier policies on free water and water services privatization both failed, we need more realistic reforms and overall capacity building. In developing economies access to water services is a major challenge, whereas in developed societies more efforts are needed for upgrading the ageing infrastructure. Reaching many of the SDGs, not only SDG 6, requires additional efforts and reorientation in water services education and research.