‘Tracing Delhi Province Citizen’s Reaction In The Twentieth Century Towards Cholera Outbreaks Through Newspaper As A Historical Source’

Abstract

This paper examines the reactions of citizens of Delhi Province to government notifications issued during cholera outbreaks, using letters to the editor of the Hindustan Times as primary historical sources. Cholera, a water-borne disease associated with contaminated food and unsafe water, spread rapidly in conditions marked by poor sanitation, defective drainage, and inadequate public health infrastructure. Unlike other diseases, it caused sudden and often fatal attacks, making it a serious threat to entire neighbourhoods. The study highlights how residents from areas such as Karol Bagh, Sadar Bazar, and other slum localities critically responded to municipal apathy. Through their letters, citizens exposed the stark realities of insanitary living conditions, including stagnant drains, lack of latrines, accumulation of garbage, and polluted water sources. These accounts also reveal a growing public awareness about the environmental causes of cholera. At the same time, they underscore the unequal and preferential treatment by municipal authorities, who prioritized elite areas like Civil Lines and Chandni Chowk while neglecting poorer neighbourhoods. The paper argues that these responses not only reflect civic consciousness but also expose structural inequalities and administrative indifference in colonial urban governance, which exacerbated the impact of epidemics like cholera.