50. Of the 55,000 persons rendered homeless by this disas- trous fire some 20,000 settled down on the pavements under the verandahs of nearby shops and erected temporary shelters of paper, canvas, and any other materials they could obtain. This created 1 very serious public health problem which was energetically tackled by the Urban Services Department, which provided for these people temporary ahlution and sanitary services and, in addition, successfully carried the seriously increased burden of maintaining a measure of cleanliness in the streets affected. People living in the streets are being given priority in rehousing and up to the end of the year under review 9,438 persons had been cleared from the streets and rehoused in the new lines erected on the scene of the fire.
Water Supplies.
51. The amount of water supplied to the urban area was still quite inadequate, and as in previous years only an inter- rupted supply was available. Considerable anxiety was felt in the early part of the year because the rainfall was below normal and the reservoirs were slow to fill, for a serious water shortage would be a serious matter indeed now that the alternative supplies are no longer available. Fortunately adequate rains eventually filled the reservoirs and a normal water supply was available throughout the remainder of the year.
52. Construction work on the new Tai Lam Chung Reservoir in the New Territories continued but the work will not be completed for several years and until then the city will not have an adequate water supply.
Rural Health
53. The population of the New Territories is, in general, so dispersed as to make the provision of health services difficult. Nevertheless there are 2 townships having populations of nearly 50,000 and, with the increasing growth of industry in recent years, substantial urban development has taken place. The total area of the New Territories including numerous islands, is 355 square miles and to provide health and curative services
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to the population the Medical Officer of Health has a staff of 5 medical officers, a senior health inspector, 5 health inspectors, 8 nurses, 8 midwives, 2 dressers, a beach overseer and 4 clerical ussiatants. In addition he has available 86 scavenging coolies who work in the townships.
54. The medical staff is mainly concerned with curing illness and has little time to devote to preventive medicine. Nevertheless vigorous immunization campaigns against diph- theria, typhoid and smallpox were carried out during the year.
55. At the 9 dispensaries in the New Territories there is provision for the in-patient care of maternity cases and during the year a definite advance was made with the assistance of staff paying periodic visits from the urban areas in providing, from these centres, ante-natal and post-natal services. In addition social hygiene, dental and ophthalmic services were provided on a limited scale with the help of visiting staff from the urban area.
56. During the year works affecting public health were carried out in various towns and villages. These included a new drainage system in one of the larger towns, public latrines in several villages and a new market on one of the islands. In addition the first two slaughter houses in the New Territories were privately erected.
57. At the close of the year under review a new health centre, in the industrial township of Tsun Wan, was nearing completion. This is the first health centre to be erected in the New Territories and it is hoped that it will serve as a pattern for other similar institutions which it is planned to provide in the New Territories in the future. This health centre will provide not only general out-patient services but also facilities for the in-patient care of maternity cases and other personal health services.
68. Conservancy and refuse removal services in the New Territories leave much to be desired, but plans for improving them are under consideration.
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