In order to know the meaning of the term cloaca, it is necessary, first of all, to discover its etymological origin. In this case, we can highlight that it is a word that derives from Latin, exactly from “cloaca”, which can be translated as “drain”.
The term sewer can be used to refer to the pipe where water with household waste is sent. These conduits are installed underground and are connected to household pipes that allow the evacuation of so-called wastewater .
The sewers are gathered in a main collector that allows these waters to be transferred to a treatment plant or to the final discharge site. It is important that the conduits are designed with a certain slope so that the waters flow according to the law of gravity.
This inclination, however, should not be too steep since, if the fluids move at high speed , the sewers could erode. It is essential, on the other hand, that the joints are airtight to prevent leaks and the access of rainwater.
It is common for sewers to become blocked or obstructed by the accumulation of elements that are thrown away by people improperly. However, throwing any object into a sewer is usually prohibited by law .
It should be noted that, by extension, any place or element that is very dirty or unpleasant is known as a sewer. For example : “I'm not going to stay the night in this sewer,” “The restaurant in front of the square is a sewer.”
In addition to all of the above, we cannot forget an important audiovisual work that responds to the title of “The sewers of the State.” It is an 80-minute documentary made in Spain by journalists such as Carlos Enrique Bayo and Patricia López that unravels a series of alleged irregularities, illegalities and even corruption that took place within the Ministry of the Interior.
It took nine months of research work to make that aforementioned documentary, directed by Jaume Roures and scripted by Jaume Grau, which features testimonies from police officers or officials from the aforementioned ministry.
In the literary field we find, for example, the book “Las sewers of 11-M”. Ignacio López Bru is the author of this work, published in 2013, which addresses one of the most important tragedies that Spain has suffered in its history. We are referring to the serious terrorist attacks of March 11, 2004.
This work makes it clear that there are still many aspects of this fact that remain “in the air”, without reaching the general public, because the high levels of power have done everything possible to hide them and so that not everything is known. the truth.
In the field of zoology , the final section of the intestine of reptiles, birds and other animals is called the cloaca. In this cavity, through which waste is expelled, the urinary and genital ducts also flow.