M 20
It
93. The present system is apt to be seriously interrupted during bad weather, and was, in fact, temporarily dislocated by the typhoon of September, 1937. It is sometimes impossible, during the typhoon season, for the dust barges to leave their stations while the typhoon signal is hoisted. This means that they have to dump their contents on the shore during that period, a proceeding which is obviously dangerous from the public health point of view.
(c) Drainage.
94. Anti-malarial work costing $54,167.66 was carried out by the Public Works Department in Hong Kong and Kowloon. General drainage work having a bearing on anti-malarial work to a total of $142,420.47 was also carried out.
95. The anti-malarial work carried out by the Malaria Bureau was continued at North Point, Repulse Bay, Aberdeen, the Queen Mary Hospital, Felix Villas, Kowloon Tong, Kai Tak, and Lai Chi Kok. In these areas control was obtained over an additional 8,330 yards of stream drainage.
(d) Water supplies.
96. The water services were detailed in the previous report and need not be described again this year.
97. The addition of between 500,000 and 600,000 persons to the normal population as a result of the "Incident" combined with an unusually low rainfall — only 55.4 inches as compared with 82.5 in 1937 and an average of 77.7 for the ten years ending in 1938 — gave rise to a disquieting situation and to the imposition of restrictions which had to be tightened up later.
98. Additional water services were laid on with commendable promptitude by the Public Works Department to the Government Camps for refugees at Fanling, Gill's Cutting, and Pat Heung, all in the New Territories.
99. As a safeguard against possible infection with cholera and other water-borne diseases, steps were taken to arrange for the chlorination of all Government pipe-borne water supplies and of the large privately owned supply near the Taikoo Dockyard, which is occasionally used for ships.
100. The consumption of water from the public reservoirs, which have a capacity of nearly 600 million gallons, amounted to 8,662.75 million gallons for the year, an average of 15.82 gallons per head per day on a basis of a population (including refugees) of at least 1.3 million.
101.
Samples
Bacteriological results obtained in 1938 were as follows:-
B. coli communis 1,055 were absent in 50 c.c. (90.5%) 85 were above standard—(B. coli absent in 10 c.c.) (7.3%) 26 1,166 were below standard (2.2%) Total number of examinations made (of filtered water)