In the mid-19th century, London grew rapidly. The drinking water was taken from the Thames, which was also a sewer. Cholera was rampant. What to do? It was not until the heat wave of 1858 that politics got going.
Because with the heat, the stench of the feces in the city became almost unbearable, not least in Parliament. After years of public discussions and lengthy planning and calculations by various competent authorities of what an improved wastewater disposal system could look like and what it would all cost, on July 15, 1858, Parliament finally laid the legal basis for the expansion of the infrastructure: the so-called Metropolitan Board of Works now had the skills and budget to take action.
The aim was to create a network of canals that would transport the huge amounts of wastewater from the city parallel to the river. Large pumping stations and extensive bank reinforcements were part of the task, which proved to be a huge material battle by the mid-1870s. Without the engineer Joseph Bazalgette, who had been given responsibility for the mega-project, none of this might have succeeded. In any case, Bazalgette mastered its task with flying colors – visitors to the city can still see this for themselves today.
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