10
REPORT OF THE KING INSTITUTE, GUINDY
draw water using their own ropes and buckets. Unless these cisterns are covered
in and provided with pumps, the process of chlorination will remain an expensive
and wasteful procedure. The provision of municipal ropes and buckets with
strict injunctions to use those alone, would minimize the risks to some extent, if
the provision of pumps would be too expensive.
Jail supplies.—At the Bellary Central Jail, municipal water was taken
during the year from a tap outside the compound for drinking purposes and
chlorinated efficiently. The results of filtration at the Alipuram Jail were not
satisfactory but the chlorinated supply was good. Chlorination was being
practised at all the jails and was found to be efficient except at Salem where the
chlorination of the hospital well water in November was defective. The untreated
well waters in many of the jails were very grossly polluted and it is not known
if the " local investigations to determine why the water in these usually deep
wells should be so badly polluted " which were recommended in the last two
reports were carried out and the causes determined. When they are found and
remedied chlorination will be necessary only as a second line of defence in an
emergency.
Railway supplies.—The water supplied through taps at the following railway
stations was either definitely bad or unsatisfactory :—
Arni Road, Chingleput (in July), Chicacole Road, Gudur, Dronachalam,
Hospet, Kumbakonam, Madanapalle, Nandyal, Ongole, Simhachalam, Tanjore,
Tinnevelly, Tiruttani, Tiruvannamalai, Tiruvalur Junction and Waltair.
Systematic chlorination was recommended in many cases. In Dronachalam
the new filter trench failed to act even as a strainer.
At some of the stations, e.g., Bellary, Mangalagiri and Nandyal, the wells
were liable to dry up and water had to be brought in railway waggons from other
stations. Such water was also of poor quality. It is to be regretted that no
action has yet been taken with regard to the Hospet Railway Station supply
which is derived from the drainage water of a neighbouring sugarcane planta-
tion. The practice of supplying water by tin cans from open buckets instead of
through closed cans with spouts still prevails at some of the stations.
The water of the sub-artesian borehole at Samalkota which at One time was
of a very good quality has shown progressive deterioration. This should be
carefully investigated.
The necessity for improving the sanitary condition of the old well at Tanjore
has been repeatedly urged in successive reports but without any response so far.
Types of filters.—Slow sand filters gave variable results at Berhampur and
Cocanada and were uniformly unsatisfactory at Salem, Ellore, Kurnool and
Madras City. At Periyakulam they were out of action in September but when
they had been relaid in March yielded good results.
The mechanical filter at Chidambaram functioned satisfactorily but the water
deteriorated seriously in transit. At Erode, the filter continued to yield poor
results while at the same time and using the same water the mechanical filter at
Mettur did very well. This disparity is due not to any essential superiority of
one type of filter over another, but mainly to the care or absence of it with
which the plant is worked.
The infiltration gallery supplies behaved as usual and many of them were
, unable to yield an adequate supply during the hot weather. The new gallery at
Chingleput yielded water of an excellent quality.
Investigations by the Senior Bacteriological Assistant.— Mr. Raghavachari
visited Mettur twice at the request of the Chief Engineer, Mettur Project, and
carried out a series of examinations on the spot with a view to enabling the
Public Works Department authorities there to take over the newly erected
Paterson filter plant after assuring themselves that the Company's guarantee
had been satisfied. As a result of his visit certain material defects and omis-
sions in the guarantee were found and subsequently remedied The taking over
of the plant was finally recommended.