With the onset of the monsoon, the Sewerage Division of the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) has undertaken the task of clearing the blockages in the culverts, drains and manholes in the city. As many as 41 contract workers have been engaged in this task at the Pump House in Chalai.
The condition of all the city drains has turned worse with large amount of plastic dumped into them and with culverts running across the entire stretch and most of the manholes situated in the middle of the road, the work takes considerable time. For this kind of work, it is necessary for the workers to enter the drains and manually clear out the blockages, which solidify over time.
Unfortunately, the labourers employed by the contractor are not given any basic safety equipment. They are forced to enter the drains wearing only a piece of cloth. Once they enter the culverts, in many instances, they have to walk through the sewage in order to reach the blockage. Most of the manholes in the middle of the road are also very deep.
According to one of the labourers, the work is hard and they get paid only around Rs 350 per day, but since they do not know any other work, they are forced to carry on to feed their families. “If there is no work on a particular day, we are not paid,” said Babu, a worker.
Since they have been doing this work for several years, they are used to the smell emitting from the drainage.
However, many a time, when they fall sick or suffer some minor injuries, they still go to work, as otherwise they would lose a day’s wages. Now, the health of the workers is getting worse as they lack awareness about safety measures. Many of these workers have been engaged in this job for more than 20 years and a good number of them for over 10 years.
Being contract workers, they do not get any benefits from the KWA authorities or the Sewerage Division. The workers allege that even at the canteen in the office at Chalai, they do not get food at subsidised rates. They also said that following a strike demanding an increase in wages, the Department, along with the contractors, gave them a raise of just Rs 50.
However, when contacted, the Executive Engineer of KWA Sewerage Division, Suresh, said: ‘’We have given licence to as many as 26 contractors and it is they who select the workers and pay them. We call tenders on annual basis and pay the contractors the amount in the agreement. We do not have the responsibilities of the workers.’’