The Thames is one of the most famous river in the world. Ships get from London to the sea by sailing down it. We see Tower Bridge across the river. On its right are some of the old warehouse dating from the nineteenth century. In the river on the left are some barges remind us that this port of the Thames is still an important waterway and port. Offices,churches ,docks,parks,pubs and hotels can all be found on the banks of this great river as it silently makes its way through London.
In the early nineteenth century the effects of the Industrial Revolution changed the Thames from a clear ,pure river to a dirty one. Sewage and waste from gas-factories,fish-markets and boats poured into the river every day. In 1848,cholera struck the capital. Fifty-four people died in the first week of November,and in the last three months of 1849, the cholera deaths in London came to 12847. The Government did little to improve the situation.
During the hot summer of 1858, the smell from the Thame was so bad that it was impossible to pass by without a handkerchief pressed closely over nose ans mouth, It was impossible to take a trip on a river steamer without feeling sick. Finally the Government began to do something about the terrible pollution.
Sewers were constructed tothe north and south of the river to take the sewage further downstream, and work was begun on an embankment. The river was wider than it today, so that it flowed more slowly. One of the reasons for building the embankment along the north bank of the Thames was to make the river narrower and increase its speed. This carried away much of the sewage.
Today London is Britain's largest port, The total trade amounta to 50 million tonnes a year. Fuels, chemicals,fruit,grain and wood are the major products, Today ,the pollution of the river is controlled and the Government has passed strict laws to help make it cleaner, So far it has been very successful.Over one hundred new specials of freshwater and sea fish have returned and the amount of oxygen in the river is rising every year.
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