Annual report of the Director, Medical & Health Department / Colony of Mauritius.

  • Mauritius. Medical and Health Department
Date:
[1913]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual report of the Director, Medical & Health Department / Colony of Mauritius. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    18/20 (page 15)
    ]a May the gangs attending to the anti-malarial works under the supervision of Mr. d’Emmerez were passed over to the charge of the Sanitary Wardens who carried out the minor works in addition to their other duties. The Sanitary Engineer continued to devote his attention to the major works. The house to house distribution of quinine was carried out by three travelling dispensers under the directions of the Sanitary Wardens. It is as yet premature to offer definite conclusions with regard to the scheme, but a good deal of good has been done, especially to those actually suffering fromv attacks of fever, a large number of whom would not have otherwise obtained the quinine. F. J. R. MOMPLE, 18th. May, 1914. Chief Sanitary Officer. ANNEXURE VI. Report on the work done by the Sanitary Engineer's Branch during the year 1913. 1. Malaria—Major Works. The year 1913 was marked by the start given to the execution of the major works recommended on page 120 of Professor Ross’ Report. These costly schemes were more closely studied in the first part of the year and towards mid-year the campaign entered on an active phase. In the estimates for the Financial year starting in July 1913, the Sanitary Engineer had a sum of Rs. 150,000 at his disposal for major works as compared with a vote of Rs. 5,000 in previous years. The following were the works undertaken (a) Lataniers River. The river was canalised between the bridges on Nicolay aud Pamplemousses Roads—a distance of 8,000 feet. The river flows for about half this length on a stone bed and for the remaining half on an alluvial bed yearly modified by floods. 1 In the stone part a channel 4' x—V was^ blasted, which gives a good flow to the river waters. The soft part and the ponds had to be dealt with in a elaborate way* There the apparent way of dealing with the river was to build a masonry channel so devised that it would resist heavy floods. (b) Terre Rouge—Riche Terre—Le ITochet. the regions of Riche Terre, Terre Rouge and Le Hochet being in certain!, areas unprovided with natural channels for the drainage of raid waters had to be provided with artificial ones. 1,000 feet of channel 4' x 3' have been dug up to now and three culverts built. All the hollows, in which water accumulated and which seemed to be artificial ponds dug, at a time when the region was well populated, have been filled up, or drained. ■' Near Terre Rouge, the stream which goes through the village was paved on a length of 200 feet and a proper exit provided under the Bathurst, canal which had to be broken and rebuilt. The stream was also properly channelled on a length of 2^000 feet. The expenditure up to December reached Rs. 8,618.79. (c) Citron River. - , . . » • *'I#'*4}' • t , i . . f be Citron River, which had received particular attention in previous years !?m,lts course,,through Pamplemousses village aud Petite Rosalie and qJ Estates, was now undertaken in its lower part on a length of 18,000 feet from the bridge on the road leading to Cannoniers’ Point to the Pamplemousses village.. This part of the river, which in its course runs close by the Calebasses luminary aud winds along the “ Moulin a Poudre ” lands, was practically a,