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10
SANITARY CIRCUMSTANCES
As may well bo imagined, the sanitary circumstances for the year 1945,
relates to a very marked decree in housing conditions - the effect of war damage
on dwellings and the necessary repairs and restoration, the provision of
additional houses by adaptation of the larger houses and the conditions to be
achieved in them in order to provide reasonable standards of housing. The
Sanitary Inspectors have therefore dealt with the following aspects of the housing
problem.
(1) Survey and inspection of empty properties with a view to requisitioning
540 inspections and 207 re-inspections of properties.
(2) 2,367 inspections of premises for certification of building licences and
essentiality certificates, mostly arising from war damage, all in relation
to the provision of housing or business premises of special character e.g.
catering establishments.
(3) Special inspections relating to plans of drainage and sanitary fittings.
For the first two of these categories the Inspectors were organised in
groups as the work is extensive and requires continuous attention. The
difficulties and delays in the execution of any work where builders' labour and
materials were required during 1945 needs no emphasis.
Water: The quality and quantity of the water sup. lied by the Metropolitan
Water Board is In safe hands. No cases arose of any complaints in premises where
drinking water was drawn from intervening storage tanks.
On the other hand no fewer than 101 premises, mostly large buildings,
flats, offices, etc., are supplied from private wells. Periodic examination and •
analysis of Water from these sources are made. The owners generally submit the
reports of their own analyst. In a few cases confirmatory analysis are obtained
by the City Council. During 1945, 84 certificates were submitted by owners, all
of them being satisfactory. In a number of instances, particularly the older
well supplies, chlorination is in use mainly as a result of conditions found
during the war years. No question of plumbo solvency arises in the deep well
water arising from the London Basin.
All the dwelling houses in the area apart from those blocks of flats
supplied from deep wells derive their piped supplies from the Water Board. All
are provided with internal water taps.
The static water tanks in the City were not infrequently a cause of
complaint as breeding places for mosquitoes. They required frequent inspection
necessitating l6l visits by the Inspectors, but co-operative measures with the
National Fire Service kept this source of infestation under control. Now that
the tanks have boon emptied they unfortunately provide a convenient dump for
varieties of rubbish and garbage, thus encouraging rats.