Page 146 - Bahrain Gov annual reports (V a)_Neat

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MUNICIPALITIES
MANAMA MUNICIPALITY
(From the Report of Mr. Mohammed Saleh Shatcr, Secretary to the Municipal Council)

Finance. The total revenue in 1954 amounted to Rs. 8,90,807, and the expenditure, in
which was included the allocation of Rs. 50,000 towards a new Municipal Building, was
Rs. 9,54,366. At the end of the year the balance on hand was Rs. 2,60,339 and debts out­
standing, mostly due by the Municipality to the Government, amounted to Rs. 1,39,770.
Municipal Activities. Town cleaning was the most important and most costly duly
performed by the Municipality ; it necessitated the use of 200 men, 34 donkey carts and
3 lorries throughout the year. The Government presented to the Municipality an up-to-date
rubbish disposal van, suitable in size for negotiating the narrow streets of the bazaar, which
was in use intermittently, and also a gully emptier, for cleaning out cesspits, which was used,
on and off, during the year. A definite preference is shown by the Municipality for old
fashioned methods which arc uneconomical and unsatisfactory. The town, however, especially
the main streets, presented a clean appearance. It is estimated that over 60 tons of town refuse
is removed every day, it is dumped on a site on the eastern shore, near the suburb of Hoora,
where large areas of sea have been reclaimed by filling in with town refuse covered with sand.
Areas such as this can after some years be used as building sites, though foundations have to
be laid on the sea bed.
Over 228,000 square feet of road surfacing was carried out inside the town on which
280,000 cubic feet of stone and 100,000 cubic feet of sand and oil mixture were used. By
degrees all the streets in the town are being surfaced. One of the disadvantages of this improve­
ment is that when the streets are raised by metalling and surfacing, if there is heavy rain the
water flows into the adjacent houses whose floor levels are often below street level. Gutters
along the streets are impracticable ; as there is no fall the water remains in them.

A small amount of road widening was carried out by pushing back compound walls and in
some cases by cutting buildings. Municipal regulations permit three feet to be cut from
private property, to widen streets, without compensation, though any building which is moved
has to be rebuilt. The streets and lanes in the old part of the bazaar are excessively congested
but as the value of property is so high it would be impossible to cut wide roads through the
bazaar. In areas which have been developed in recent years, outside the bazaar, there are
wide, straight roads.

The Municipality planted 250 trees along roads and in public gardens but a large propor­
tion of them were pulled up and either stolen or destroyed. In several of the gardens in the
Jufair Road area trees which had been growing well for several years died off as their roots
reached the subsoil water.
The blacksmith’s shed, behind the Municipal Offices was rebuilt at the cost of Rs. 22,200.
The site is unsuitable for the purpose but because it has been established for so long in one
place it is difficult to move it elsewhere.
A wash-house, divided into two parts for men and women, was built at the Khalil Kanoo
artesian well. The well was originally constructed by Haj Khalil Kanoo, for public purposes,
and after negotiations it was taken over by the Municipality.
An additional 62 electric lamps were put up in streets and roads but the new lamp standards,
made of reinforced concrete, on the Sea Road, were erected and paid for by the Government.
They replaced the iron lamp standards which perished rapidly owing to their exposed position
on the edge of the sea.
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The Fire Service dealt with 34 fires in Manama and Muharraq.
Municipal Meat Inspectors examined 23,800 head of sheep, 3,019 head of cattle and 21
camels during the year.

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