Old Worlds, New Solutions: Ancient Civilisations and Modern Nations Teach Us About the Water Crisis

About this episode

Callum and Tim Smedley discuss the UK's water stress and explore ancient and modern solutions to the water crisis.

In this episode, Callum and author Tim Smedley take a deep dive into why the UK is more water-stressed than most people realise—and how solutions from both the ancient world and modern engineering could transform our future. From Australia’s household rainwater tanks to Mexico City’s ambitious urban schemes, and from Iranian qanats to forgotten cisterns in Europe, this conversation uncovers the systems that once sustained entire civilisations and the technologies that could help us do the same today. They also explore emerging UK initiatives—like smart water butts and slow-drain systems—that could ease pressure on overwhelmed sewers and help communities adapt to extremes of drought and downpours.

People in this episode

Guest: Tim Smedley

Topics covered

• water crisis
• ancient civilisations
• modern engineering
• UK water stress
• sustainable solutions

Keywords

• rainwater tanks
• urban schemes
• qanats
• cisterns
• smart water butts
• slow-drain systems

Mentioned in this episode

Products: household rainwater tanks, smart water butts, slow-drain systems

Places: UK, Australia, Mexico City’s, Europe

More episodes of water matters

• Episode 25: Why Managing Rainwater at Home Matters More Than You Think · April 17, 2026 · 28 min
• Episode 24: One Year Later - The Reality of Water in the UK · April 3, 2026 · 33 min
• Episode 23: What the 2026 Water Matters Yearbook Reveals About Global Water · March 20, 2026 · 16 min
• Episode 22: The Middle East: How the Driest Region Manages Its Water · March 7, 2026 · 39 min
• Ep 21: Floods, Droughts and Beavers — Are Nature-Based Solutions the Answer? · February 20, 2026 · 36 min
• Beavers One Year On: How Rewilding Is Reshaping Wetlands · February 6, 2026 · 1h 4m