6
flow out into the public streets, to be absorbed into the ground or to be washed
away by the storm-water. These khalkoowas are not often, in fact hardly ever,
I am informed, cleaned out, until the expiration of 30 or 40 years. I saw one
that had been opened for my inspection in the enclosure of the municipal offices.
It joined the servants' privy, and had not been opened, certainly, for fifteen
years. The smell issuing from it was over-poweringly disgusting. Water was
f o u n d a t 1 1 1 / 4 f e e t b e l o w t h e s u r f a c e o f t h e g r o u n d , a n d i t wa s 2 1 / 4 f e e t d e e p .
Be l ow i t t he r e wa s 11/ 2 f oot of de pos i t , f r om whi c h ga s e s we r e e s c a pi ng t hr ough
the water. Besides the above, there are 2,752 of what are termed "deep" privies
in use. These are simply khalkoowas with a privy seat, having a central open
-ing of about 6 inches broad on the top of the arch. They are usually situated inside
the houses, especially those occupied by Mussulmans ; and there are some that,
although constantly used since they were constructed, have not been cleaned for
fifty or sixty years.
17. The surface of the panch-privies is usually unpaved, and the night-
soil is collected by a bhungy in attendance, who mixes ashes with it. The urine
and ablution water is collected in a chunamed cesspool, from whence it is
removed by carts, or flows into a khalkoowa. The public privies are enclosed
by a stone wall, and are paved and provided with seats. The nightsoil is re
-moved from a passage running at the back, where the bhungy mixes it with ashes.
The urine and ablution-water flow outside into cesspools, from which it is carried
away in carts.
18. The surface of the roads is, as a rule, well swept, but within the boun
-daries of private enclosures there are too often collections of rubbish which are not
removed. Ruinous houses also afford a ready site for the collection of filth of all
sorts, and open spaces and the lanes in the city are sometimes, during the night,
fouled with nightsoil; whilst the sides of the dead walls are used as urinals, from
which a very offensive odour arises. Until quite lately, as there was no
Magistrate, the Municipal officers were unable to take any action whatever to
compel cleanliness on the part of private owners, or to punish offenders against
the sanitary clauses of the Act.
19. The conservancy establishment works under the orders and active
superintendence of the Secretary to the Municipality, Mr. Rughoonath Janardhun
Prabh. It consists of—
8 Inspectors.
12 Muccadums
.
135 Road-sweepers.
There are two inspectors attached to each division : one is responsible for the
scavenging and watering of the streets, and the other is solely engaged in super
-intending the collection and removal of the nightsoil. The scavengering is
performed by contract, and the contractor employs about 25 ekkas, or carts, with
only one bullock and 112 donkeys. The refuse is removed to the following three
depôts:—the Duriapur Depôt, at a distance of about three-quarters of a mile in a
direct line to the north-east of the city ; the Raipur Depôt, which is about half mile
t o t h e s o u t h - e a s t o f t h e t o wn ; a n d t h e J a ma l p u r De p ô t , a b o u t a mi l e s o u t h o f t h e
walls. Until very lately there was a fourth depôt, the Sháhpur, on the north of the
gate, but it was closed about a month ago on account of representations made by the
military authorities that it was a source of danger to the police lines and camp, as
it was straight to windward of these places. The broken tiles, &c., removed by
the contractor, have been profitably used in filling up low-lying places. There
have been 125 dust-boxes erected along the streets in the city, and 275 sites are
recognized as places of deposit to which houseowners may bring their refuse.
In Saraspur there are no dust-boxes, but 10 places of deposit. I should also
mention that some of the kutchra is sold to brick-makers, and that all the stable
refuse from private houses is sold to potters and owners of kilns inside the city.