656551-1890-Report-on-Separate-System-of-Main-Drainage — Page 25

THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 27TH SEPTEMBER, 1890. 955

From the remarks above on the construction and working of Chinese houses, I trust I have shown how very Difficulty of carrying ont difficult it is, even with the present Combined System, to effect the drainage of tenements. The Separate the Separate

System. System of drainage is a refinement which most towns, even at home, shrink from adopting, and which the Chinese are utterly unsuited for. I have shewn that there cannot be, iu purely Chinese districts, any rainfall which would not be polluted, and the remarks of Sir ROBERT RAWLINSON on this head are greatly to the point. There- fore, if the rain water drain is liable to pollution, it immediately becomes a sewer, and the carrying out of the Separate System would only mean providing two sets of sewers.

not entirely

complaint.

As the question of house drains has been but briefly mentioned in Mr. COOPER's report, I will only add my House drains testimony to the badness of their construction and design, speaking generally, but to "attribute the chief cause the cause of "of foul emanations from the main sewers opening in the streets and elsewhere" to the house drains, is hardly fair; as the main sewers are also very defective in places, and practically unprovided with any system of

ventilation.

The course adopted for some years has been, that, wherever foul gas was complained of, trapping the street gullies was resorted to, thus reducing even the small amount of ventilation that existed, instead of constructing proper ventilators.

I again quote from Sir ROBERT RAWLINSON:

to sewers the

"If sewer air at any ventilator or any other point should be offensive, additional means for ventilation on Ventilation "this sewer are required, and should as soon as possible be supplied. Trapping should not be resorted to in remedy.

any case."

The

by Chinese.

My general experience is, that very few traps laid down in Chinese houses are allowed to remain intact. Traps destroyed My firm has within the last few years laid down in new Chinese houses some hundreds of cast iron traps, and I will undertake to prove that nearly all the gratings are broken, and the bottom of the traps knocked out. custom being to make the house drains take refuse of every description, such as vegetable matter, fruit skins, &c., the traps at once become choked and the blame is laid on them. Quite recently I discovered in a first class Chinese house, the cast iron trap laid down by my firm about four months before had been removed, and a grating of exactly similar pattern on top, but with a plain connection to the sewer had been substituted, the trap having no doubt caused trouble and inconvenience.

should be simple.

From the above remarks, and any experience generally, which would be borne out by any person interested House drains in and acquainted with Chinese property, it is plain that any house drain and connection must be of the most simple character, and in no case permitted inside the dwelling house.

use no traps.

If the main sewers in the streets and lanes are thoroughly well ventilated, I would go so far as to say that Suggestion to for the purely Chinese districts, it would be well for the Government to recognize the above facts, and not to attempt any thing in the nature of traps, but to enforce the construction of good pipe connections properly jointed with strong iron gratings at the open ends.

rapidly

The drainage, with the rapid discharge, owing to the steep gradients of the streets, the short distance to the Drainage sea by adopting numerous outfalls, ami the absence of fecal matter, would not have time to decompose, therefore, conveyed with the sewers fully ventilated, no absolute necessity for trapping is required.

to the sea.

Chinese

I realize that no system of drainage will alter the nature of the odours of the Chinese quarter, which are not Odours in necessarily unhealthy, as evidenced by experience of Canton, where the surface of the narrow streets is formed by quarters. the granite covers of the main sewers, and the large open joints of the cover stones ensure very thorough venti- lation to the sewers, which are therefore practically open channels.

I disagree entirely with the opinion of Mr. CooPER, that practically nothing can be done with the main Main sewers to drainage, till the house connections are first pat in order. Sir Robert RAWLINSON distinctly states ---

"In sewering a town or village, the main sewers should first be completed, side junctions for brauch drains, "and house junctions having in all cases been provided, and indicated on the plan. House drains in detail may "then be proceeded with."

This appears to me to be but common sense, as until the level of the main sewers are settled and the junc- tions put in, it is impossible to lay out the house drains to the best advantage, and it is useless to discharge, through the most perfect house drains, sewage matter into imperfect or unventilated sewers. If sewage gas be formed it has to be discharged somewhere, and if not in the streets then in the back yards.

be constructed first, then house drains.

procedure in

drainage.

I would, in carrying out the drainage of this City, take an outfall, re-model it, ventilate, repair or recon- Suggestions of struct the main sewers and tributaries; when this work has been completed, then by suitable laws, the owners carrying out the of tenements should be compelled to connect in a proper manner to the sewers, in accordance with by-laws passed (I may mention it was with regret that I noticed that the Sanitary Board has lately passed by-laws forcing the