'Reports of administration for 1918 of divisions and districts of the occupied territories in Mesopotamia. Volume I' [‎53v] (111/470)

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It has already been suggested above that a service of motor or electric trams
owned by Municipality would bring a large income to the two towns. The fact
that the takings on a single day have amounted to over Rs. 1,000/— during a pilgrimage
would provide a further argument in favour of such an undertaking.
At Kufah a good deal has been done. A river wall is being built by the owners
of houses on the bank at a cost of about Rs.. 2 lacs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees and at present half the length
is completed.
The Municipality is assisting with a sum of Rs.44,000/-, which has been
advanced as a loan from General Revenues. The bazaars have been drained and
levelled and brick pavements constructed on either side of the roads.
The properties of paint as a preservative of woodwork and as an embellishment
to shops and houses have been brought to the notice of house-owners. It is not
proposed to do much at Kufah in the coming year, as the completion of the wharf
wall will absorb most of the funds and energy of this municipality. A certain
amount of drainage and road improvement will be considered.
Health and Sanitation .—Of even more importance than the improvement of
streets and buildings is the urgent necessity that expert sanitary attention should
be turned to Najaf without delay.
As has been pointed out above, the conditions in favour of the successful
incubation and distribution of a pandemic are almost ideal. The infant mortality
is known to be prodigious—syphilis almost universal.
Very few inhabitants who have passed middle age are free from consumption.
The supply of drinking water is inadequate and liable to contamination. The
water from wells is impregnated with salt and fouled with sewage.
Only very temporary and superficial measures were undertaken in the past
year owing to lack of personnel and material. Small pox and cholera broke out
in Kufah and Abu Sukhair in September. The reason that these did not spread
to any great extent was owing to the measures taken by S.A.S. ‘Abdul Latif, who
worked very hard in the segregation of small pox cases—a most unpopular
precaution.
About 100 cases of small pox occurred in Najaf, with 32 deaths. Many children
were also blinded by this disease. ‘Abdul Latif vaccinated over 300 children within
a few days in the streets.
Jarrahas were seen inoculating children with the dried pus of small pox
pustules, which is obtainable from Jews at Hillah, who are understood to keep this
commodity in stock. Subject to correction by a medical expert, this practice must
be highly dangerous.
The influenza epidemic did not fail to give Najaf a visit, but, fortunately, in
a very mild form and only a few deaths occurred.
It is expected that over a million pilgrims will visit Najaf next year.
It is inevitable that the town will become a Disease Exchange of considerable
importance, and the provision of a Health Staff on a scale capable of copin 0- with
this influx is quite beyond the sphere of the Municipality.
Similarly adequate conservancy arrangements cannot be met by Municipal
Funds. This was recognised by the late Government, and a Quarantine tax of
Rs. 4/- was levied on each corpse brought into the town. The money from this
fund was theoretically devoted to a health staff, who controlled the influx of
pilgrims and corpses and made arrangements for the protection of the water supplv
and the segregation of disease. This tax has produced an income of Rs 52 000/-
since June and is credited to General Revenues. It is expected that it will amount
to Rs. 1,20,000/ next year. It is hoped that the whole of this amount will be
devoted to the creation of a Health Office at Najaf, under a British officer with
trained subordinates, which will be as beneficial to other towns as to Najaf and
U a l / ?m? OSa iaS ? een in the Budget and an extract of the
suggested Establishment and Expenditure is added to this note.
Temporary latrines have been built in both towns, but are quite inadequate.
devised^" 11111611 * Stl ' UCtUreS mUSt wait until some kind of drainage scheme is
w T T e TT C .f anl T mess of tlie streets has been due to the excellent work of
Ewaz 4lb the Sanitary Inspector, who has made his subordinates work satisfactorily.