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Captain Smith gives his opinions on evacuation in C Ward as
follows :—
This year no houses were evacuated by the Plague Department.
A
certain amount of voluntary evacuation has been carried out by the different
communities in this ward. Where it was done by the people themselves they
went out into camp or to the suburbs and benefited to the extent of practically
escaping the ravages o£ plague. An excellent instance o£ what happens when
evacuation is not practised is given in the case o£ 1st Carpenter Street,
Kumbharwada, where the people suffered severely this year ; because they stayed
too long and neglected to go to camp in time.
Dr. Bardi reports that in Dhobichi Wadi and Kadiachi Wadi the people living
in these houses evacuated them o£ their own accord and put up matting shelters
for themselves in the compound only a few yards away from their houses. He
says :—
"That the people are quite willing to vacate their houses, provided camp
"accommodation is available, is proved by the numerous requests made to
"me and the District Officer for camp accommodation. They did not avail
"themselves of the accommodation in the Goculdass Tejpal camp, as the
"limit of time for which they could stay was only 10 days."
Antoba Wadi is a good instance of the result o£ non-evacuation, the plague
having been very bad this year, whilst in former years its ravages were stopped by
timely evacuation.
There was very little evacuation carried out in D Ward, Capt. Stuart
gives his views and experience on the subject as follows :—
I am perfectly convinced had some of the well known chawls been forcibly
evacuated there would not have been a continuance of plague in those places. Both
Dr. Contractor and Mr. Pednekar are of the same opinion. The better class of
natives went of their own accord into camps when they found the place was badly in-
fected. The Marine Lines camp was made use of. Others who could afford it went
off to Dadar and elsewhere, and erected sheds of their own accord. If some of the
others had had some place where they could have gone to they would have done
the same; but being poor they could not afford to erect sheds or go out of Bombay.
They object to being huddled up with all sorts and conditions of men. Had sheds
been set apart for them, I am sure, they would have availed themselves of the secu-
rity. As for the lower classes it is absolutely impossible to get them to go—they
will not. Forcible ejection and evacuation seems the only remedy, and it does not
allow them to travel from chawl to chawl carrying infection. I will quote just
some instances where evacuation has had a beneficial effect.
Mr. Pednekar on account of number of cases and deaths in 32, Khetwadi 6th
Lane ; 23, Khetwadi 6th Lane ; and 9, Falkland 5th Cross Lane persuaded the
people to evacuate for a short time—only about a month. The result was the
people took the hint and the ground floor of 32, Khetwady 6th Lane became
vacated. 23, Khetwadi 6th Lane was wholly vacated and the grater portion of
9, Falkland 5th Cross Lane was also vacated. Disinfection was carefully and
thoroughly carried out. So that since there have been hardly any cases in these
places.
Dr. Contractor persuaded the people in Bhatwady which was badly infected
to vacate. Some erected temporary huts in the compound. Others went to Grant
Road Health Camp, the result being plague was at once checked, and since then
very few cases have occurred there,
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