The secretary of social and health services shall have the power, and it shall be his or her duty, to investigate the system of disposal of sewage, garbage, feculent matter, offal, refuse, filth, or any animal, mineral, or vegetable matter or substance, by cities not located on tidewater, having a population of one hundred thousand or more, and if he or she shall determine upon investigation that any such system or systems of disposal is or may be injurious or dangerous to health, he or she shall have the power, and it shall be his or she duty, to order such city or cities to provide for, construct, and maintain a system or systems of disposal which will not be injurious or dangerous to health.