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Here is proof
that PVC pipes*
SAVE YOU 30 to 40%
in plumbing cost!

Take a look at this cost comparison chart for plumbing at a
house in Madras where PVC pipes have been used.

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And remember, that apart from the initial saving, you also save substantially over the years because PVC pipes need no maintenance, do not corrode and retain their internal bore.

* Insist on PVC Pipes manufactured to ISI Standard No. IS:4985-1968

NATIONAL ORGANIC CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES LIMITED NOCIL Sandoz House, Dr. Annie Besant Road, Worli, Bombay 18 WB.

AIYARS-NOC.299 REV. I

EDITORIAL

Cost Of Polluted Water

According to the Director of the National Institute of Communicable Diseases, Dr. N. G. S. Raghavan, if the entire gamut of water-borne diseases is taken into consideration it would be more economical to provide potable water and proper sewage disposal than to spend huge sums in fighting these diseases. Improper dis posal of sewage water results in diseases like filariasis and some virus infections.

In a paper on Economic Aspects of Potable Water Supply in India, read by Messrs Paritosh C. Tyagi and Ganga Bishan, Research Officers of the Planning Commission, the urgency and economy of providing potable water to all the towns and villages has been underlined with the help of the following statistics:-More than two million deaths per year occur from water borne diseases and over 50 million persons are partially incapacitated annually by these ailments in India. Nearly 3 per cent of the total Plan outlay is spent on public health measures and another 3 per cent on medical expenses for treatment of illness. Eighty percent of the latter expenditure is related at present to such diseases as are preventable by provision of proper facilities for water supply and sanitation.

The official figures also reveal that hardly 3.2 per cent of the rural population has been provided with safe piped water supply system; while 73.8 per cent of the population depends on simple wells for drinking water supply, which is normally insanitary and unhygienic. According to the rough estimates made by the National Water Supply and Sanitation Committee it was estimated that about 60 per cent of the urban population had water supply facilities (34 per cent with adequate supply and 26 per cent with inadequate supply) and 37 per cent of the urban population with sewerage facilities (26 per cent adequately and 11 per cent inadequately).

To the dangers of inadequate water supply and sewage disposal facilities has now been added the menace of water pollution from another quarter.

Union Minister of State for Agriculture, Mr. Sher Singh, in his convocation address at the Indian Forest Research Institute on July 31, called for effective measures to save the population from the growing hazards of the air and water pollution in the country. He said that large quantities of water were becoming unfit for human consumption because of continuous discharge of industrial wastes containing highly toxic chemicals into rivers by mills, tanneries and chemical and wood based industries.

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Month Reviewed

Homeless In Cities-Councillors Oppose Liquor ShopsFamily Planning

Homeless In Cities

Nearly 10 million people in the cities of India have no homes worth the name to live in. In the vast rural areas of the Sub-continent some 72 million are similarly without suitable homes.

These official figures, estimated by the working group on housing for the Fourth Plan, are based on the assumption that every family should have a liveable dwelling unit of a reasonably permanent character and, accordingly, included kåtcha and dilapidated houses, requiring replace ment or substantial improvement.

Housing shortage at the beginning of the Fourth Plan was broadly estimated at about 8.37 million units. Construction of houses in such colossal numbers would involve an investment of about Rs. 33,000 crores, it has been officially stated. "Funds of this order are not likely to be available in the near future" the official statement adds, bleakly.

Through the various social housing schemes that have been sponsored or aided by the Union and State Governments since 1952, the housing shortage has been relieved to the extent of about 477,000.

The Fourth Plan allotment for housing and urban development schemes is a little short of Rs. 200 crores. This amount can provide, at the present cost of construc tion, not more than 200,000 housing units, according to official estimates.

Councillors Oppose Liquor Shops

Mangalore Municipal Council adjourned on July 1 a little past Mid-night after a marathon session over a controversy about the granting of licences to run liquor bars in municipal premises.

Mr. K. Monappa Shetty (CPI) raised an objection against the action of the munici pal commissioner, Dr. Rangappa, in accord

ing lease permits to a contractor for running arrack shops at the municipal bus-stand, the municipal reading room at Derebail and other municipal property.

He alleged that the municipal commis sioner had uot taken the Council into confi premises. dence or sought its permission to lease the

ruled that the question was not on the The chairman, Mr. Vaman Kodiyalbail, agenda of the meeting.

Member after member rose to raise objections and question the propriety of the commissioner's action.

The meeting dragged on past Mid-night. The chairman then called upon Dr. Ran gappa to give an assurance to the agitated councillors.

Dr. Rangappa said he would consult the municipality before proceeding further with leasing municipal property to liquor con

tractors.

Family Planning

Employees of Ahmedadad Corporation on July 1 received with their pay packets a gift of two packets of "Nirodh.'

The employees, among them many women, were astonished to find the unique "gift" in the packets.

Some of the unmarried employees cashed in on the opportunity and did some brisk business, selling the contraceptive packets at 10 paise each to their "needy" colleagues.

The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has received 200 grosses of "Nirodh" from the State Government under the family planning propaganda scheme for free distri bution among its employees.

Civic employees will be supplied free of cost the contraceptive through the Civic Family Planning Bureau in the Lal Darwaja

area.

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