5
adjoining the principal military cantonment of Western India is not creditable.
The bunghies bring the daily collections to carts stationed at the five public
necessaries, and also at a depôt on the south of the city in the Shukarwar Peth,
which is, however, unpaved and undrained, and not supplied with water, and where
about 10 nightsoil carts stand. There are two other depôts in the town, one
in Aditwar and the other in Kasba Peth, to which the bungies bring their
baskets. The nightsoil is then carted away to Dhankoory, which is situated on
rising ground overhanging, and about 2½ miles along the Satara road, to the
south of the City. On the top of this hill there have been dug 118 pits, 43 feet
long by 12 feet broad, and of a depth from 2 to 3 feet, into which the nightsoil is
discharged. It is stated that it takes two or three days to fill a pit with nightsoil,
which is then covered over with town sweepings, until in the course of three or four
months, by evaporation and soakage, the liquid portion is absorbed, when the solid
matter is taken out and sold. The smell occasioned by this unscientific method
of disposal is at times very great, and extremely annoying to persons passing
along the Satara road to Mahableshwar. It is even considered at certain sea
-sons of the year to be carried as far as the Wanowri Barracks, which are situated
2½ miles off, directly to the north-east of the manure pits. I think it, however,
right to state that personally I do not coincide in this opinion.
10. The surface of the roads in the City is well swept, and appears clean;
but there is an immense quantity of rubbish lying in the back yards of the houses
which is never removed. The town sweepings collected from the roads is sold
to the owners of the brick-kilns, and an annual income of about Rs. 1,800 is de
-rived from this source. The strength of the conservancy establishment, which
works under the orders of the Health Officer, Mr. Mahadev Yeshwant Paranjpe,
L.M., is as under:—
2 nuisance inspectors.
7 „ mukadums.
150 road sweepers.
12 nightsoil carts, which make two trips a day.
18 rubbish carts, which make three trips a day.
150 donkeys, which are employed in lanes too narrow for the passage of a cart, and
which also make three trips a day.
At the 5 latrines there are 6 halalcores paid by the Municipality.
The offensive trades particularly complained of by Dr. Leith, were the
brick-kilns and tanneries; all of these places have now been removed outside the
City, but the new site of some of them has not been judiciously selected. For
example, the brick-kiln which used to be situated on the right bank of the river,
close to the old bund, has been removed to the opposite bank of Bamboorda; but
as this is directly to windward, and within a quarter of a mile of the Poona
Engineering College and the Residency at the Sumgum, it is a question whether
it will not have again to be removed. Again, three large tanning manufactories
belonging to merchants in Bombay, besides a collection of tanneries belonging
to fourteen different owners, have been located close to and south of the Kharak
-wásla Canal, and a little to the south-west of the cantonment Christian Burial-
Ground. From these no proper drainage has been made; whilst the most offensive
odours emanate from them, which I can easily conceive could reach the Wanowri
Barracks and Petty Staff Lines, as the place is just on the borders of camp limits,
and directly to the south-west of them, and about a mile distant from the barracks.
11. The Municipality has, since Dr. Leith's report, induced a private pro
- p r i e t o r t o b u i l d a m u t t o n m a r k e t a n d s l a u g h t e r - h o u s e , w h i c h i s r e n t e d b y t h e m
and sub-let to butchers; but though this is not so good as it ought to be, it is yet
far better than the private slaughier-house in Kathuk Ali, belonging to the
Borahs, where there is no proper drainage, and the surface is not paved. I am
B 221-2 b