Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for West Ham]
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SANITARY CIRCUMSTANCES
OF THE AREA.
Mr. H. G. Clinch, Chief Sanitary Inspector, reports as
follows:—
WATER.
Practically the whole of the Borough is supplied with water
by the Metropolitan Water Board. The supply is constant, and
in every case it is conveyed directly to the house.
No complaints have been received from private houses, or any
other source, with regard to unsatisfactory water supply, but unsatisfactory
storage cisterns in houses are frequently dealt with
by Notice. Whenever possible supply service pipes are altered to
supply one tap direct from the rising main instead of from a
storage cistern.
RIVERS AND STREAMS.
The Thames and the Lee are both tidal rivers. Part of the
Lee and the whole of the Thames abutting on the Borough are
under the control of the Port of London Authority. The remainder
of the River Lee and the Back Rivers connecting therewith which
pass through the Borough come under the control of the Lee Conservancy
and the River Lee Catchment Board.
The Council have hitherto been responsible for the maintenance
of the river banks under powers which have devolved upon
them as successors to the Dagenham Commissioners, but the Land
Drainage Act, 1930, has transferred certain of these powers to
the River Lee and River Roding Catchment Boards.
The scheme for the improvement of the Back Rivers of the
Borough under the provisions of the River Lee (Flood Relief, etc.)
Act, 1930, mentioned in my report of last year, is now complete.
DRAINAGE AND SEWERAGE.
The water carriage system of sewage removal is almost
universal throughout the whole Borough. Houses are provided
with properly flushed water closets, discharging by
modern drainage into the Public Sewers which also convey
the surface water. The part of the Borough lying'
South of the Victoria and Albert Docks drains into a main
sewer which passes through portions of East Ham and North
Woolwich, and discharges into the London County Council s
sewer at North Woolwich.
With the exception of a few isolated cottages on the North
side of the Borough, the whole of the sewage is waterborne.
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