Report of the Ministry of Health / Colony of Singapore.

  • Singapore. Ministry of Health.
Date:
[1960]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report of the Ministry of Health / Colony of Singapore. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    37/190 (page 29)
    PIGGERIES The sanitary conditions of the piggeries in the rural areas leave much to be desired and it is not uncommon to receive complaints of nuisances from piggeries. The rearing of pigs, however, has an important economic bearing on the food production of the island and while a satisfactory solution should be found in sanitating these piggeries, this economic factor should be borne in mind. The total number of piggeries licensed during the year was 2,169. CATTLE SHEDS AND DAIRIES Unlike the Chinese farmer, the Indian workman keeps a few head of cattle to augment his income. Many of the cattle sheds were found to be insanitary and the Rural Health Department has been trying very hard to improve matters. There are two large dairy farms in the rural areas viz: Malayan Dairy Farm and Singapore Dairy Farm. These two farms supply milk which is pasteurised before sale to the public. PISCICULTURE The number of fish and prawn ponds in the Rural Areas remain about the same. From the public health point of view these prawn and fish ponds may give rise to breeding of A. sundaicus and control of breeding of dangerous mosquitoes in the brackish water pond has always been a difficult problem. There are about 300 ponds in the Rural Districts of which 250 are fish ponds, the rest being prawn ponds. KAMPONG SANITATION In 1960 drainage and other construction works were carried out in 48 kampongs. 5,161 yards of channel drains, 2,327 yards of subsoil drains, 3,918 yards of earth drains, 18 standpipe aprons and 29 latrines were con¬ structed. Provision of kampong sanitation is a great boom to the villagers and sets a new tone to the general health consciousness. The Cleansing Section lent ready co-operation in the maintenance of sanitated kampongs and the Public Health Inspectors helped in maintaining kampong sanitation by pursuing a programme of health education.