Sanitation and public services and utilities provision in the cities of Western Siberia during the Great Patriotic War

Abstract

The article discusses the causes of the epidemiological problem, which appeared to be typical of Western Siberia and to be conditioned by the burden of the War time. From the very beginning of the Great Patriotic War, a lot of industrial enterprises and a considerable number of people were evacuated to Western Siberia. Conditions of the evacuation and distribution of the population were quite hard. In the nasty autumn weather and in the deep frost local people together with evacuated workers unloaded technical equipment, often by-hand because of the lack of machines. Equipment often had to be installed in the open air. People who came with evacuated enterprises started to work as construction worker to fell timber, dig foundation ditches for heavy industrial machines, part of them were installed in the open air. Workers lived right there, got warm, cooked, had a rest by the fire. Evacuated professionals suffered from cold and malnutrition, lived in small storerooms. Evacuation, harsh working conditions, poor nutrition, lack of fuel, housing shortage provided a supportive environment for mass diseases. In 1942, in the towns of Novosibirsk Oblast the number of people suffering from typhus increased by 6.4 times, from typhoid fever by 3.3 times, from scarlatina by 5.2 times in comparison with the pre-war period. In Tomsk, the number of typhoid fever cases increased by 4.8 times, dysentery cases increased by 4.9 times, typhus cases by 2.1 times. However, this key problem had to be resolved. Under the circumstances, sanitation measures and provision of urban amenities were directed to prevent further spread of epidemics. Archival records give evidence of disinfection of the population organized by the authorities. Special committees with sweeping powers to protect from epidemics were formed in cities. Health workers had the support of volunteers and social activists. Severe regulations were made to provide administrative responsibility in the form of fines and community labor for the violation of rules for cleaning streets, yards, common areas, for unauthorized landfill and others. The Soviet authorities took steps for provision of urban amenities: street lighting, tree planting, repair of building facades, roads and sidewalks. Works on provision of urban amenities were limited due to the lack of funds, materials, constant and sufficient human resources in municipal services. Cleaning factories could take out only a tenth part of the dirt. The state sanitary brigade was small. Most rubbish and other sewage was outside in the streets as all main resources were sent to defense plants to provide for their work. The conclusion is that, under extreme circumstances of the war time, solution of the problem with the sanitary illbeing of the urban population in Western Siberia did not seem possible because of the lack of resources. In this regard, local authorities followed the line of organizational-administrative measures. The main form of provision of urban amenities were volunteer clean-ups on Saturdays, Sundays, once in ten days, once a month. Dozens of thousands of people cleaned the cities from snow and garbage without charge in Western Siberia during the war. Under the conditions of the war it was particularly important. Sanitation measures and provision of urban amenities made it possible to prevent further spread of mass diseases and stabilize the epidemiological situation in the region.