146
REPORT.
(i) The water from the infiltration gallery is considerably polluted. It contains fœcal bacilli in 1 cc.
(ii) The sample from the service reservoir shows a slight improvement, fœcal bacilli being present in 5
The organisms present however throughout the whole of the system are distinctly objectionable and probably
access to the water-supply on account of the lack of care in conserving the river-bed immediately above the gall
The inspection note accompanying this report shows a very undesirable state of affairs.
(iii) The samples taken from the pipes vary somewhat : that opposite the Muhammadan school contain fœc
bacilli in 1 cc., that in Punganur Amman Koil street being considerably worse showing fœcal bacilli in • 1 cc.
The water as a whole is not improved on last quarter' Special attention is drawn to the recommendations
the inspection notes as regards the conserving the river bed.
The chemical analysis shows as in last time but the water is rather hard. This, combined with the excess
amount of nitrates and somewhat high chlorine figure, suggests that water passes through a salt bed. The different
between the two samples I and III is not easy to explain but suggests the possibility that the chemical constituents
according as pumping is heavy or light.
INSPECTION REPORT.
The water-supply scheme at Gudiyattam is comparatively new. It consists of an infiltration gallery sunk in
course of the Kavindiniya which is a tributary of the Palar. The bed of the river is made up of a sort of fine gravel
it is hardly correct to term it sand as the grains are extremely coarse. The water is pumped from the gallery in
river to an overhead service reservoir in the town. From here it is distributed by gravitation. The scheme is on
whole a very good one, but there are sundry defects in the management of certain parts of it.
.
(1) The empty or dry course of river above the infiltration gallery is not conserved in any way. Cattle is
about the sand and foul it to a considerable extent. But there is a much more serious defect than stray cattle
casual passer-by. About 300 yards above the line of gallery run two irrigation channels cut more or less diagonally ac
t h e r i v e r b e d . T h e s e c o n t a i n a c o n s i d e r a b l e q u a n t i t y o f w a t e r e v e n a t t h i s t i m e o f t h e y e a r a n d i n t h e s e w a t e r c o
a large number of dhobies are engaged in washing clothes. This must be put a stop to at once. The water in t
channels will certainly find its way into the infiltration gallery and the nature of the river bed is such that t
will he little or no removal of bacilli as the water passes through the gravel. Considering that Gudiyáttam itsel
the last quarter provided 100 cases of cholera, most of which however were imported, it is not by any means beyond
bounds of possibility that cholera-infected clothing is washed in the water in close proximity to the infiltration gall
The Chairman informs me that there are plenty of tanks and collections of water in the neighbourhood of the cause
(which is situated a considerable distance below the gallery), so that there is no necessity to dig fresh pits for
accommodation of these dhobies. It is simply necessary to issue orders for them to desist washing clothes in the str
and fouling the sand in the neighbourhood with their donkeys, and to do the washing of clothes in the water near
causeway. It will be necessary to appoint a patrol to see that these orders are strictly carried out. The river
above the gallery should be patrolled for a distance of at least a mile. Foot-passengers need not be interfered with
all using of the river bed and banks as latrines should be prevented and stray cattle driven away.
(2) The supply from the infiltration gallery appears to be very satisfactory in quantity, but no record is kep
the effect of pumping on the quantity of the water in the gallery. The man in charge of the engine and the over
have a very hazy idea as to the fall in the water level in the suction wells due to the working of the pu
Careful daily record should be kept of (a) the level of the water before any pumping is started in the morning, (b) t h e
of water when the morning's work is finished, and (c) the time that it takes for the water in the gallery to rise t:
normal level. These figures will give very valuable information as to what the gallery will supply at all time of
year and in years of drought.
(3) The weak point of the whole scheme at present is the very insufficient distributing arrangements.
scheme as a whole is only supplying 14 per cent. of the quantity of water that it is capable of. The whole of the
south of the river is without supply at present' The northern side only possesses 14 hydrants. I understand that com
plans and estimates are ready for carrying the supply to the southern side of the town, where 18 hydrants are to be
structed, and for increasing the number of taps in the northern side from 14 to 25. This work I consider should be es
out as early as possible, so as to bring pure water to the greatest possible number of the inhabitants ; for it is obvi
unsatisfactory to only work a scheme up to 14 per cent. of its capabilities ; further within the last quarter no less
100 cases of cholera occurred in the town. A wider distribution of a water protected from contamination should
materially reduce this number.