SANITATION
OF
MOFUSSIL BAZAARS
BY
G. W. DISNEY
ASSOCIATE, KING’S COLLEGE, LONDON; MEMBER, INSTITUTE, CIVIL ENGINEERS;
FELLOW ROYAL SANITARY INSTITUTE; LATE SANITARY ENGINEER TO GOVERNMENT,
EASTERN BENGAL AND ASSAM
THIRD EDITION
CALCUTTA & SIMLA
THACKER, SPINK & CO
1914
PRINTED BY
THACKER, SPINK AND CO., CALCUTTA.
THIRD EDITION
DEDICATED
TO
Sir Lancelot Hare, K.C.S.I., C.I.E,
LATE LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR OF EASTERN BENGAL AND ASSAM.
_Under whom the Author had the honour of serving for many years_.
RANCHI,
_The 17th June 1914_.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
PREFACE TO THIRD EDITION.
The Second Edition of this work being now out of print for some years it
has been suggested to me that I should re-write the Manual and bring it
up to date. It does not purport to be a highly technical work, but will,
I trust, indicate to those requiring fuller information where to look
for it. Two Chapters have been added on Road Making and Building
Construction which, it is hoped, will make the book more useful to those
for whom it is written. The arrangement of the Chapters has also been
altered.
My acknowledgments are again due to many friends who have helped me in
revising the Second Edition of this Manual.
RANCHI, │ G. W. D.
_17th June 1914_. │
INTRODUCTION.
A concise handbook dealing with the most important points of the
sanitation of Indian Bazaars is much needed; this is an endeavour to
supply the want and put the information available on the subject in a
convenient form, so as to facilitate the organization, and control the
working of the sanitary department of a municipality. It is not within
the scope of this work to allude to large waterworks or drainage
schemes, but merely to show how existing arrangements can be improved.
The real secret of sanitation is the prompt removal of fæcal matter and
refuse from the neighbourhood of inhabited buildings before it has time
to decay, as in the early stages of putrefaction emanations are evolved
which are highly dangerous to health; it is also an admitted fact that
the common fly is a considerable factor in disseminating disease, as it
conveys germs on the pads of its feet from infected matter to the
food-supply of the inhabitants.
My thanks are due to many who have been good enough to assist me in this
work, and especially to Lieutenant-Colonel Whitwell and Captain J. C.
Vaughan of the Indian Medical Service; to Mr. A. E. Silk, Sanitary
Engineer to the Government of Bengal; and to Captain D. Meagher, the
Officer in charge of the Government Farm at Allahabad.
G. W. D.
_November 1901._
PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION.
The First Edition of this work was favourably received and, being
entirely disposed of within five months of its issue, indicates that a
want was met. The Manual has been patronised by the Government of India,
the Secretary of State for the Colonies, the Local Governments of
Bengal, Madras, Burma, Punjab, the United Provinces of Agra and Oude,
Assam, the Central Provinces, the North-West Frontier Provinces,
Baluchistan, and other Administrations, as well as by several Native
States, and by the Nepal Durbar. A Second Edition with a good deal of
additional matter added, has therefore been prepared, but this has been
called for before the Author was ready for it, and estimated results
have in consequence been given in several instances instead of recorded
facts. The science of sanitation is, however, progressing so rapidly,
that a good deal of useful information is available, and advantage has
been taken of criticisms to amplify several points. Additional
information has been given on the Biological System of Disposal of
Sewage, on Markets, and Drain Flushing among other subjects, and
Appendices C to F have been added.
I take this opportunity of again thanking many who have assisted me, and
for the generous tone of the criticisms in the public press.
MUZAFFARPUR, │ G. W. DISNEY.
_15th November 1902_. │
CONTENTS.
PAGE.
INTRODUCTION v
CHAPTER I. DRAINAGE 1–5
„ II. WATER-SUPPLY 6–17
„ III. ROAD MAKING 18–21
„ IV. BUILDING CONSTRUCTION 22–24
„ V. LATRINES AND URINALS 25–30
„ VI. COLLECTION AND REMOVAL OF NIGHT-SOIL 31–36
„ VII. DISPOSAL OF NIGHT-SOIL AND TRENCHING GROUNDS 37–41
„ VIII. COLLECTION AND DISPOSAL OF REFUSE 42–49
„ IX. BIOLOGICAL SYSTEM FOR DISPOSAL OF NIGHT-SOIL 50–51
„ X. GENERAL SANITATION 52–56
APPENDIX A. MODEL RULES, PRIVIES AND URINALS 57–60
„ B. FORM FOR REGULATING REMOVAL OF TOWN SWEEPINGS 61
„ C. WELL REGISTER 62
„ D. MODEL BUILDING REGULATIONS 63–67
„ E. TABLE FOR THE REPAYMENT OF LOANS 68
„ F. RULES FOR THE PREPARATION, SUBMISSION AND
EXECUTION OF PROJECTS OF WATER-SUPPLY, SEWERAGE
OR DRAINAGE, BY LOCAL AUTHORITIES 69–73
„ G. FORM FOR ANNUAL REPORT ON BRIDGES AND CULVERTS 74
„ H. SPECIFICATION FOR TAR-MACADAM 75–77
SANITATION
OF
MOFUSSIL BAZAARS.
CHAPTER I.
SURFACE OR STORM-WATER DRAINAGE.
Owing to the fact that earth for the construction of most of the huts in
a bazaar has been excavated from the immediate vicinity of the
buildings, it is a matter of much consideration to determine the most
suitable levels the surface drains should start at, as it is of
importance that these should be as shallow as circumstances admit of in
order that they may obtain the full benefit of purification by sun and
air. By adopting as high a level as possible at the head of the drain it
enables better gradients, or falls, to be given which aids much in
self-cleansing. The greatest care should be taken not to lose, or waste
what little fall there is in the plains, as this is simply invaluable.
Deep drains rapidly become foul at the sides and bottom, are difficult
to flush owing to the quantity of water required to do so effectively,
and great temptation is also given to adjacent house-holders to bridge
them over with wide platforms, the consequence being that, sooner or
later, the storm-water drain, designed as an open one, and for which it
may originally have been more or less suitable, soon changes its
character, and becomes a badly designed sewer, which imprisons and
concentrates noxious effluvia. When a drain runs beneath a road,
provision should be made for a part of it being easily uncovered to
admit of examination and cleaning. All drains should open into others at
acute, and not at right angles, and must join at top to top, and not at
base level; where necessary the difference of level can be made up by
falls.
[Sidenote: Surface drainage of small roads.]
The surface drainage of small roads and paths in a bazaar is best
provided for by the construction of a central drain down the middle, to
which the ground is made to slightly slope from each side; this prevents
the accumulation of filth in the so-called side drains, which are
generally merely long pits; and, provided a slight fall be given, they
are self-cleaning at every shower of rain.
In paths or gullies a small concrete saucer drain can be constructed, at
a cost not exceeding four annas a lineal foot, into which the house
connections can be made,—the paths being paved with bricks, set flat,
not costing more than Rs. 2–8 per 100 square feet. These should be laid
at a good slope to the drain, and as only foot traffic need be provided
for, is amply strong enough. In many cases it will be found that
adjacent house-holders are quite willing to pay for this work, when once
a commencement is made, and the advantage is obvious to them.
[Sidenote: Kutcha roadside drains.]
In kutcha roadside drains care must be taken that, in the process of
cleaning, which generally consists in the removal of the bed, they do
not in time become permanent roadside trenches without fall; it is much
better to have no drains at all than this; mere depressions which, when
dry, can be swept, and which will be washed clean after a heavy shower
of rain, are much preferable. The proper bed-level of a kutcha drain
should be permanently marked by wooden pegs driven well into the earth,
and built into a masonry pillar, 1 foot 10 inches square, or by masonry
profiles, at intervals of 100 feet apart; this shows at once if the
bed-level or section has been unduly lowered during the process of
cleaning out.
[Sidenote: Flushing.]
When designing a drainage system for a town it is essential that
provision for flushing be made at the same time, otherwise the drains
become receptacles for filth for about two-thirds of the year. This can
be arranged by the construction of flushing tanks, which, when full
automatically discharge into the drains, by water mains laid underground
discharging into the head or summits of the drains; and also by the
drains being divided up into convenient sections by stops or sluices,
which are lifted automatically, or by manual labour, when the section is
full of water, thus ensuring an effective flush.
[Illustration:
FIG. 1.
AUTOMATIC FLUSHING TANK
]
A type design of an automatic flushing tank is shown in Fig. 1. These
cost about Rs. 100 each complete, the syphon pipe alone representing
some Rs. 30. Where sufficient head is not unavailable for this type,
Adams’ Patent Adamic Flusher may be suitable. These cost about Rs. 70
for a 4″ pipe size, and works with a head of 10 inches.
Where sullage water is discharged into storm-water drains this should be
treated in sullage filters at convenient intervals. _See_ Fig. 18, page
36.
[Sidenote: Masonry drains.]
The most suitable form for surface drains is the semi-circular base,
with side slopes of 1 to 2·4, as the discharge is only slightly less
than that of the ovoid section, and the drains are more easy to
construct. They can be easily swept clean, or run through with a wooden
board made to fit the section, and pushed along by a boy.
The Dacca type rectangular drain, as shown in Fig. 2, page 5, is very
suitable for narrow lanes. The dimensions can be altered to suit local
conditions.
Much useful information as to the preparation of drainage projects, and
tables of discharges of different sections, will be found in Practical
Instructions in Surface Drainage, by Mr. H. A. Gubbay, Executive
Engineer, Public Works Department, published by the Government of
Bengal.
In most cases, when designing a system of drainage, it is advisable
merely to take the general surface level of the bazaar as the level to
be drained, leaving artificially caused depressions to be filled up with
the débris of old buildings, and any available suitable material as
opportunity occurs. It is also generally unnecessary to provide for a
very heavy rainfall. The usual provision in this part of India is for a
run off due to ½ an inch of rainfall per hour from densely built over,
and ¼th of an inch from suburban areas.
It is more scientific to design the drains with reference to the
possible flushing power and facilities available, rather than that of
the maximum rainfall.
The importance of proper drainage, especially in connection with
checking the spread of malarial fever by anopheles mosquitoes has, owing
to recent researches, been fully recognised. These are found to breed
most extensively in the earth-lined drains alongside streets. Where
brick-lined, the current should be strong enough to wash away the larvæ,
but it is quite otherwise on the numerous kutcha ones in every bazaar.
It is also essential, in Bengal, to make use of the powers conferred by
the Municipal Act (Section 195) to compel owners to fill up small
depressions which, during the rains, form extensive and numerous
breeding-grounds. Every attempt should be made each year to brick-line a
section of the roadside drains as money is available, where funds do not
admit of much being done. Grass and weeds in the earthen drains must be
cleared out at regular intervals during the rains, and the oftener the
better. Mosquitoes of the culex tribe cannot also be disregarded, as
these have been proved to convey elephantiasis and other diseases, and
stegomyia, which abound in Lower Bengal, are the hosts of yellow fever.
[Illustration:
FIG. 2.
CROSS SECTION OF STREET SIDE DRAIN.
]