plumbing was very rare until modern cities grew in the 19th century. at about the same time, public health leaders began wanting better systems to get rid of waste. before this, people got rid of waste by collecting it and dumping it onto the ground or into rivers. however, there were some plumbing pipes in the city settlements of the indus valley civilization by 2700 b.c. plumbing was also used during the ancient civilizations such as the greek, roman, persian, indian, and chinese civilizations as they built public baths and needed drinking water, and somewhere to drain waste. the romans used pipe inscriptions to stop people from stealing water.