The Big Necessity

When I tell people I'm reading this book, their face would wrinkle in disgust. This, apparently, has to do with a primordial survival instinct to stay the f*** away from excreta as it carries diseases that could probably kill you dead. Yet, most of us modern folks - especially those of us blessed with indoor plumbing and flush toilets - take for granted how hardworking our sewage system is, and how it plays a HUGE role in keeping us healthy, long-lived and comfortable. We'd rather forget about it like the poo we flush down the loo and sniff at the workers keeping the often overworked and overtaxed underground sewage system running.
This book throws the lid off, so to speak. What happens to our shit when we flush it down the loo? What does it take to keep the sewage system running (more than you think, and a little frightening to think that it's almost always close to collapse), and what happens if it stops working (bad stuff. Bad, bad stuff). It's also disconcerting to realise that modern civilisation still has no idea what to do with the tonnes of shit human beings we produce. (The poor sea. Should I even eat fish anymore, really?)
Still, I have to thank the Lord that I live in a country where there are flush toilets. The chapters about India's sanitation problems made my eyes bleed and my tummy hurt. No offence, but I'm not going to India anytime soon as my very sensitive stomach would probably not survive the trip.
So, next time when you flush that toilet, say thank you. It's literally saving your life.