5
Most of the houses, in fact I believe nearly all, have a back courtyard
Of some kind, and in it, generally speaking, is stored the litter for the cattle I
have spoken of ; such was seen in the compound of the gentleman I have before
named, Mr. Vyasrao Ramrao Desai. It is in direct contravention of Section 55 of
the Act ; but there are great difficulties in the way of enforcing its constant
removal. The people are, generally speaking, very poor, and are engaged for
the most part in agricultural pursuits, and this stable litter is necessary for their
fields. In almost every compound there is a hole ranging in size from 3' X 3' X 3'
to 10' x 10' x 3' ; the number of such for the storage of stable litter is estimated
to be about 2,500. It is, however, my duty to point out that the storage of
manure in the close vicinity of houses adds greatly to the impurity of the
atmosphere.
The places where it is deposited should be paved and drained, and, if it would
not inflict hardship or injury on the proprietors, it should be removed daily and
deposited in places on the outskirts of the town especially set apart for it, and
maintained by the municipality ; or, still better, it should be taken off to the fields
themselves every day. If this cannot be done, it would be better to burn it and
store the ashes, which are, of course, valuable ; but it is clear that, in a sanitary-
point of view, there should not be a dung heap of decomposing organic matter
close to each man's house.
In the compounds also are too often what are termed pit privies, of
which there are 2,360 in the town. These consist of a pit dug for a depth of
about 10 feet and about 6 feet in circumference. They have been in use from
time immemorial, and are never cleaned out. It thus results that in Dharwar the
inhabitants, 72 per cent. of whom are Hindus, store up their night-soil as they
do their grain. Hindus, to whose religion, training, and customs any thing
filthy is disgusting, are in Dharwar content to cook food and drink water which
has necessarily been exposed to the emanations given off from their own night-soil ;
nay more, who are content to bring up their children and to live themselves in an
atmosphere tainted with their own. excrement. No wonder, as I shall presently
show, that 36 per cent. of the deaths take place in children under 12 years of age.
In my inspection of Dharwar I was irresistibly reminded of . a honey-comb
which some of the cells were filled with night-soil instead of honey, whilst in the
neighbouring cells were stored grain and water. Can any thing be worse or more
revolting. I am quite aware that the reason of this is that there are no bhungies
procurable in Dharwar ; and that in the whole town there is actually only one
privy cleaned by a bhungy ; but the municipality is fortunately presided over by
a gentleman like Mr. Robertson, whom no difficulties, when he is convinced he is
acting for the good of his people, will deter, and he has informed me that he con-
siders that it would be possible for him to procure bhungies from distant parts,
if the disgusting system I have described above is stopped. Of course this
change cannot be effected in a day, and proper places must be provided for the
people before it can be introduced.
There are, on the average, 5.23 persons to a house, so that out of the
27,136 inhabitants only 12,342 use privies ; the rest generally resort to the fields
on the east, south-east, and north-east of the town ; and it is the best thing
they can do, though I regret to say I noticed a good deal of night-soil lying inside
private enclosures, showing that the people were too lazy to go to the fields.
There is only one public necessary in the town, the night-soil from which is de-
posited in trenches near the privy. It is situated below the hill where the
Mhárs live, and is on the gathering ground of the Bagh Talao, the water in which,
however, is not used for drinking water. I think, as I have said, the best thing
the people can do is to go to the fields to ease themselves ; but I also think a
greater number of public latrines might, with advantage, be put up for the
convenience of the old and very young, who cannot walk the long distance to the
fields.
B 157—2