4
7. Nine peths of the City, viz:, those west of the Nagjheri, with a present
population of 63,569 persons, were thus provided with sewers; but the remaining
nine peths, with a present population of 26,867 persons, are entirely without pro
-per means for carrying off the sullage, which either finds its way through chan
-nels cut in the ground into the two nullahs, the Nagjheri and the Manik, or else
too frequently remains to soak into the surface near the houses of their inhabit
-ants. Some slight, but very inefficient, means have been taken, since the date of
Dr. Leith's report, to improve the flow in these nullahs, and they have been, since
the introduction of the Kharakwásla water, occasionally flushed with it; but
the surface of their beds is so uneven that in many places the water stag
-nates, and the foul matters in it emit the most offensive smell, which, however,
does not prevent the people living in the vicinity from washing their persons and
clothes in it. Cattle, too, are habitually taken down to drink the water in these
nullahs. The main sewer, which is laid. along the right bank of the river an
d intercepts the sewerage from the peths adjacent to it, discharges its contents
into the river immediately below the old bond, within a few feet of the bank. At
the time of my visit to it, a black, semi-consistent sludge of half putrid matter had
collected opposite to it, and was floating on the surface of the water close
along the bank, and extended, I should think, for about 200 yards ; I saw, how
-ever, persons bathing in the river close to the outlet, and washing their mouths
out with the water.
8. There are stated to be about 7,000 privies in Poona: so that, supposing
each of the 1,416 houses of the better class, with their 17,270 inhabitants, was
provided with one, there would remain 5,584 attached to that number of houses
of the inferior class, which, as we have before seen, were inhabited on the average
by 7.3 persons. By this estimate there would only be privy accommodation for
1 7 , 2 7 0 p e r s o n s l i v i n g i n h o u s e s o f t h e b e t t e r c l a s s ,
40,763 do.
do. inferior 'class,
or a total of 58,033 person's.
Since Dr. Leith's report five public necessaries have been erected:—
Two in Bhowani Peth, each with accommodation for 14 x 2=28 seats.
One in Ganesh Peth do do 14 do.
One in Kasba Peth do. do. 10 do.
One in Nana's Peth
do. do. 14 do
or a total public accommodation of 60 seats.
Mr. Nursoo Ramchunder, the Secretary to the Poona Municipality, was kind
enough at my suggestion to have the number of persons visiting these public
necessaries during 24 hours on the 18th June counted, and it was found that
5,108 persons resorted to them during that time. From the above it will be
seen that out of the 'entire population, 90,436; only about 63,141 persons had
any privies to go to and the serious question forces itself very earnestly upon
me,—Where did the remaining 27,090 persons resort for natural purposes? The
answer is not difficult, as, from the quantity of nightsoil I saw lying about the
lanes, the nullahs, the back courtyards, &c., it was evident that the people,
having no proper accommodation provided for their wants, had resorted to such
places to obey the imperative calls of nature.
9. The provisions of the Municipal Act, regarding the employment of
municipal halalcores, have not as yet been enforced in Poona, and the owners
of the 7,000 prives are entirely at the mercy of private sweepers, of whom there
are estimated to be about 300. The condition of the privies is consequently not
one whit improved since Dr. Leith described them. I saw many of them in an
u n d e s c r i b a b l e
. s t a t e o f f i l t h , t h e n i g h t s o i l r u n n i n g i n t o t h e r o a d f r o m u n d e r t h e
mat screen in front of it, which, when lifted, showed an overflowing basket which
had evidently not been cleaned for days. Such a. condition of things in a city