Page 238 - Bahrain Gov Annual Reports (III)_Neat

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MUHARRAQ AND HEDD MUNIdPALITIES.
(From the report of the Municipal Secretary Mr. Aiimed Omran).
Finance.—The revenue for the year was Rs. 77.500. it was 32% higher than in the previous
year but this included Rs. 12,000, an increase which was granted by the Government of Rs. 1,000 per
month in the Government subsidy. Revenue from municipal sources increased by Rs. 9,000. The
year ended with a surplus of Rs. 79.
There was no change in the methods of collection or in the rates of municipal taxation but
there was an all round increase in collections of house taxes, shop taxes and other fees due to the fact
that scarcely any houses or shoj)s were unoccupied during the year and people of all classes, especially
merchants, shopkeepers and coftecshop proprietors, were so prosperous that they paid their taxes
without delay or demur. Though owing to the continued prohibitive prices of building materials no
new buildings were constructed yet towards the end of the year many people repaired their houses
using a mixture of lime and sea sand instead of cement or juss. The income from municipal property
would have increased even more if it had been possible to erect living quarters above the line of muni­
cipal shops at the entrance to the main bazaar which is a project that has been under consideration
for several years.
The expenditure during the year was Rs. 77,500, approximately Rs. 3,000 more than the bud­
geted amount. The high cost of local building materials, which showed a tendency to increase during
the year and the cost of labour contributed to the expense of municipal work. Another factor which
raised the expenditure was the heavy cost of keeping in running order the worn-out municipal transport
vehicles.
Municipal Activities.—The usual routine work of keeping the town and bazaars clean was
carried on throughout the year. Although there was great difficulty in retaining municipal scavengers,
who went on strike for some time, yet never for one day were these duties not performed. There was
an unusual amount of rain in the winter and roads and lanes in Muharraq became morasses, drains
were dug to carry off standing water and tons of sand were hauled from outside the town and laid
on the streets. Muharraq has the advantage over Manamah in this respect as much of Muharraq
is considerably above sea-level where as most of Manamah lies only a foot or two above sea-level and
standing water is found just below the surface, this is one of the reasons for the intense humidity in
Manamah.
The municipality was faced with the task of repairing the western Sea-Road which
failed to stand the strain of continuous heavy military traffic. Towards the middle of the year the
road was resurfaced with cold patch. The work was slow and expensive as the oil had to be brought
from the Bahrain Petroleum Company’s sump some fifteen miles from Muharraq and sand was carried
from Budeya, about ten miles away. Cold patch worked out at between 2 and 3 annas per square
foot. There is no sand on Muharraq island, nor anywhere near it, in any case it would be strongly
undesirable to remove earth from the shores of Muharraq island which would tend to let the sea in
over the plain at abnormally high tides.
No major projects or street widening were undertaken during the year but several dangerous
corners were improved by slicing off part of the adjacent buildings, this was done to the naturs' head­
quarters at the cross roads where the Sea Road, bazaar and causeway converge. When at the end of
the war, it became possible to obtain oil and paint an improvement was noticeable in many of the
houses whose owners painted and oiled wookwork which had not been touched for many years.
A campaign was started against the indiscriminate use by the public of open spaces, ground
around wells and street corners as public conveniences. The police co-operated with the
municipal authorities. Only small success was achieved. For many years the authorities have been
trying to confine this habit to the seashore but a practice which has existed for ever is difficult to
obliterate.
The Muharraq municipal pier which is largely used for goods which arc brought to the town
from distant villages by sea, such as lucerne, dates, palm branches etc., was enlarged and repaired and
faced with a murabba stone wall and a parapet of cement.

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