Who built the sewage system in London?

Joseph Bazalgette’s
The Victorian brick-lined tunnels are still the basis of London’s sewer system even today, thanks to Joseph Bazalgette’s foresight. Alternative proposals for the Metropolitan sewers proposed narrow-bore pipes, which would have been big enough to carry away the waste of the population of London in the 1850s.

How much did Bazalgette’s sewers cost?

Bazalgette’s system cost about $6 million, now the equivalent of about $6 billion, according to Thames Water, but it transformed central London. For example, he narrowed the Thames by building Victoria Embankment, an elegant road and walkway that housed not only the sewerage tunnel but also one of the first subways.

Why is the London super sewer needed?

Tideway said: “London relies on a 150-year-old sewer system built for a population less than half its current size. “As a result, millions of tonnes of raw sewage spills, untreated, into the River Thames each year. The super sewer is the solution to tackle these problems.”

What did the Great Stink smell like?

This contamination could take the form of the odour of rotting corpses or sewage, but also rotting vegetation, or the exhaled breath of someone already diseased. Miasma was believed by most to be the vector of transmission of cholera, which was on the rise in 19th-century Europe.

How old are London’s sewers?

London’s 150-year-old sewage system is today struggling under the strain of the city’s ever-increasing population – now nearly 9 million. Millions of tons of raw sewage still spill untreated into the Thames each year, especially after extreme weather.

How is Tideway funded?

The company is backed by pension funds and other long-term investors represented by Allianz, Amber Infrastructure Group, Dalmore Capital and DIF, and the investor group includes a “significant proportion” of UK pension funds with over 1.7 million members.