The Metropolitan Commission of Sewers was one of London's first steps towards bringing its sewer and drainage infrastructure under the control of a single public body. It was a precursor of the Metropolitan Board of Works. London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England. ... Sewers transport wastewater from buildings to treatment facilities. ... Drainage is the natural or artifical removal of surface and sub-surface water from a given area. ... The Metropolitan Board of Works (MBW) was the principal instrument of London-wide government from 1855 until the establishment of the London County Council in 1889. ...

Drawing together seven separate local bodies (but excluding the City of London – whose own Commission of Sewers dated back to 1669), it was formed by Act of Parliament (the Metropolitan Commission of Sewers Act) in 1848 (the City operated under its own City Sewers Act), partly in response to public health concerns following serious outbreaks of cholera. Commissioners included Sir Edwin Chadwick and Robert Stephenson. Events Samuel Pepys stopped writing his diary. ... In Westminster System parliaments, an Act of Parliament is a part of the law passed by the Parliament. ... 1848 is a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... distribution of cholera Cholera (also called Asiatic cholera) is an infectious disease of the gastrointestinal tract caused by the Vibrio cholerae bacterium. ... Sir Edwin Chadwick (January 24, 1800–July 6, 1890) was an English social reformer. ... For the lighthouse engineer see Robert Stevenson Statue of Robert Stephenson at Euston Station, London Robert Stephenson FRS (October 16, 1803 - October 12, 1859) was an English civil engineer. ...

The Commission surveyed London's antiquated sewerage system and set about ridding the capital of an estimated 200,000 cesspits, insisting that all cesspits should be closed and that house drains should connect to sewers and empty into the Thames (ultimately, a major contributing factor to “The Great Stink" of 1858). See also Septic tank Wastewater treatment Waste management Categories: Move to Wiktionary | Language stubs | Waste | Sewerage ... The Great Stink or The Big Stink was a time in the summer of 1858 during which the smell of untreated sewage almost overwhelmed people in central London. ... 1858 is a common year starting on Friday. ...

The Commission was notable in that it employed Joseph Bazalgette, first as assistant surveyor (from 1849), taking over as Engineer in 1852 after his predecessor died of "harassing fatigues and anxieties". Bazalgette was then appointed chief engineer of the Commission's successor, the Metropolitan Board of Works in 1856, and by the end of the decade – after “The Great Stink” - his proposals to modernise the London sewerage system were being implemented. Memorial to Sir Joseph Bazalgette on Victoria Embankment Sir Joseph William Bazalgette (28 March 1819 - 15 March 1891) was one of the great Victorian civil engineers. ... 1849 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1852 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1856 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... In the early 19th Century the Thames was practically an open sewer, with disastrous consequences for public health in London. ...