REPORT OF THE KING INSTITUTE, GUINDY
for special comment. Those which have had repeated adverse comments in the
past are starred.
(a) Municipal supplies
—
*Adoni. —The supply continued to be unsatisfactory and no attempt
appears to have been made to improve the same.
Bezwada .—The supply was chlorinated at the suction well instead of at
the reservoir and a sample from the pumping station was very yellow in colour and
found overdosed with chlorine.
Coimbatore.— The recommendation to chlorinate the supply at the service
reservoir instead of at the head works was adopted with satisfactory results.
*
Ellore .—Successive examinations have revealed that the sand filters
have failed to function effectively.
* Erode. —The Jewel filters were found to yield unsatisfactory results,
owing to the fact that the essential factor in mechanical rapid filtration (viz., alum-
coagulation) was not being done and raw water was applied to the filter. A
similar state of affairs had been noticed on more than one occasion by officers of
the Public Health and Sanitary Engineering departments and in spite of repeated
advice and recommendations no systematic improvement has resulted. At
surprise visits while alum solution is always found kept ready in a tank, the
actual feed has been noted to come from another tank containing only water, and
the excuse of some fitter boy opening the wrong tank is usually given.
Madras Corporation. —The organic matter in the Red Hills Lake water
has shown a progressive increase during the past three years. The water
as distributed to the town (after chlorination and subsequent filtration) was
bacteriologically slightly better than the unchlorinated raw water but had a very
pronounced smell and taste.
*
Masulipatam. —Raw instead of alum coagulated water was being
applied to the Jewel filter during the last surprise visit of the sample taker. The
attention of the Chairman was immediately drawn to this.
*
Negapatam. —An initially fair gallery supply was found to have seriously
deteriorated in its passage through the pumping main and in the Nagore distri--
bution system. The existence of leaks was suggested. At the request of the
Municipal Chairman the supply was again examined later after closure of the
leaks in the pipe line. The results were better.
Ootacamund.— Samples from old Ootcamund cistern were examined
before and after the filter trench. Both were of fair quality on the present
occasion.
*
Periyakulam. —Poor results were again obtained in spite of the over--
haul two years ago. Filters functioned only as strainers and clogged in about a
week.
*
Tuticorin. —During this half-yearly examination the Thambraparni
supply was put under full power test allowing water into cisterns of the Koram--
pallam scheme and a few taps in the town. The gallery supply was fair at the
source and in the taps. The cisterns were heavily polluted by people getting
their supplies direct by ropes and buckets. The urgent necessity for introducing
street taps for the whole town was pointed out.
( b ) J a i l s u p p l i e s—
The untreated well waters from Vellore and Rajahmundry were fair.
Similar supplies from other jails were unsatisfactory. But chlorination continued
to be carried out effectively in all the jails during the period under report.
(c)Railway stations —
Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway.
Dronachalam.—The supply to this station is derived from a small open
channel liable to serious pollution. Systematic chlorination is therefore essential.
Ongole, Nandyal and Mangalagiri.— These
three stations depend for
their water-supply on water brought in railway waggons from adjoining stations.