London’s drainage system was developed in the 19th century. At that time, the Thames was the sewer for the drainage system in London. This had a disastrous effect on the public health. The sewer resulted in many epidemics like cholera. The drains were kept open and were quite old. These sewers were not ready for the increasing population of London. Many attempts to restructure the drainage system were neglected until finally in 1859 The Great Stink happened.

The Great Stink occurred in the summer of 1858, when the untreated sewer waste produced a foul odour throughout the city. A part of the problem was the introduction of flush toilets instead of chamber-pots. This resulted in the overflow of the sewers onto the streets. The summers in that year were unusually hot and this gave the insects and viruses a perfect ground to breed. The whole of central London was stinking, leading many to suffer from cholera. A committee was appointed to look into the matter. The work of the committee was to find the reasons behind the Great Stink and to find immediate resolution.

The committee gave the report and recommended an immediate restructuring to be done in the London drainage system. Joseph Bazalgette, a civil engineer, was given the responsibility to carry out the work. He came up with intercepting sewers. The work was immense and required 318 million bricks and millions of cubic metres of concrete and excavated earth. Today the whole of London is connected to the main system.