The terrible smell from the River Thames filled the Houses of ParliamentIn the UK, the place where British lawmakers meet to debate and make new laws. . MPsMembers of Parliament. MPs are elected to represent people in 650 different geographical areas.  who ventured into the library were forced to retreat with their handkerchiefs pressed to their noses.

The smell came to be known as "the great stink". It was caused by sewage which had been building up in the river for centuries. In the summer of 1858 there was a heatwave which made it fermentWhen substances break down in a biochemical reaction. .

Along with the smell came disease. Over the previous 25 years, choleraA dangerous infection, still present in some parts of the world that is usually caught from drinking unclean water. outbreaks had claimed over 30,000 lives.¹

The horrific pong impelled MPs to pass a new law in record time. The Metropolitan Board of Works was given a huge £3m budget to construct a new sewage system.

Under its chief engineer, Joseph Bazalgette, 82 miles of new sewers were built. Some of them were bigger than the tunnels for the Underground.

The Observer called it the "most extensive and wonderful work of modern times".

Today London still depends on Bazalgette's system, even though its population is three times as big.² Extreme rainfall caused by climate change has strained it further. Now river pollution is raising new fears for public health.

The problem is not confined to the capital. This week, the BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is the UK's national broadcaster.  revealed that millions of litres of raw sewage were pumped illegally into Lake Windermere in the Lake DistrictA mountainous area of northwest England. It contains the country's largest natural lake, Windermere. in February. Previous sewage discharges into the lake have caused it to turn green and maybe even toxic.

In England, raw sewage was released into rivers and seas for over 3.6 million hours over the past year. That is more than double the figure for the previous 12 months.³

The worst rivers affected were the Irwell and its tributaryA river or stream that flows into a larger river or lake. the Croal, which flows through Greater Manchester.

Water companies are allowed to make such releases in extreme weather conditions to stop sewers being overwhelmed. They say the increased figures are down to heavier rainfall.

But campaigners say that many releases are happening illegally because sewage works are not operating properly. They claim that water companies have not spent enough money on maintaining the system.

Is this a new great stink?

Yes: The amount of sewage being discharged into rivers and the sea is appalling. The improvements needed to the infrastructure will involve years of building work and cost billions of pounds.

No: Sewage treatment plants are becoming more sophisticated all the time. Much of the VictorianThe era when Queen Victoria was on the British throne, from 1837 to 1901.  infrastructure still works extremely well - it just needs its capacity to be increased. 

Or... The situation would be better if it were the great stink - then politicians would have to take urgent action. Because a lot of people never think about rivers, it is not considered a pressing issue.