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CHAPTER II.
RESULTS OF MALARIA PREVENTION IN BOMBAY.
Section 1.
280. RESULTS OF MALARIA PREVENTION UP TO 1909.—As
has already been shown, the City of Bombay has frequently suffered from
periods of ill-health in the past and in the early days of the British occupation
many efforts were made to improve matters by the reclaiming of "drowned
lands" and other measures. Of the results of these measures it is difficult, if
not impossible, to judge. Undoubtedly much of the work undertaken was
carried out on the assumption that, the salt marshes were responsible for the
ill-health of the community; but as we have seen in another chapter there is
little evidence to show that malaria was more prevalent in the past than in
recent years; and it is exceedingly doubtful if the measures carried out from
time to time had any appreciable effect upon this disease.
281. The work carried out by the Napiers at Colaba shortly after 1840 was
supposed to have been followed by a reduced prevalence of malaria among the
British troops stationed in the Cantonment there, who had suffered very severely
for some years previously; and except for the fact that there is no evidence to
show that Colaba was very malarious before the commencement of the Colaba
Causeway, it might be thought that this was an instance of success attending
anti-malaria work. But in the light of experience we are justified in assuming
that malaria increased and became a menace to the health of Colaba because
of the reclamation work going on there ; and that after the completion of the
work the epidemic declined, as is usual in such cases; and though it is probable
that the measures carried out by the Napiers assisted in some degree to improve
matters, it is exceedingly doubtful if this work was the main factor in producing
an improvement in the public health. The introduction of a pipe-water supply
and the closure of wells in the Cantonment, at a much later period, probably had
a greater effect in reducing endemic malaria in this part of the island, than the
special measures adopted twenty years before.
282. As regards measures of drainage, etc., in other parts of the City, there
is no evidence to show that these have influenced malaria to any great extent
and the fact that the portions of Bombay that have been longest drained are
now more malarious than the parts of the island which are still undrained,
negatives the view that such general measures have produced any reduction of
malaria in the City.
283. In more recent times the history of events at Colaba has been
repeated on a small scale both at Malabar Hill and Bhandarwada. Between
1872 and 1879 a large reservoir and settling tank was constructed on Malabar
Hill. There is no reason to suppose that the area was very malarious before
this, but partly in consequence of this work and partly as a result of the
leakage which took place from the reservoir, malaria became prevalent in that
neighbourhood. In 1880-1885 further work was carried out in connection
with the water works on Malabar Hill, over 4 lakhs of rupees being spent
upon filter-beds etc. ; and again in 1903-1937 another 2½ lakhs were spent
upon enlarging the works there. "Whether or not the operations conducted in
1880-1885 gave rise to malaria, is not known, but there is evidence that during
the progress of the later work malaria again became prevalent in the neigh-
bourhood. Owing to the complaints that were made during 1905-1907 by the
residents in the vicinity of the reservoir, certain preventive measures have been
carried out from time to time in that locality, and it is now [customary to
ascribe the whole of the improvement which has followed, to the results of
this work; but it is probable that the completion of construction work has
been one of the main factors responsible for the lessened amount of infection.
284. There is a similar history regarding the occurrence of malaria and
its prevention at Bhandarwada reservoir. There is no reason to suppose that