THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The recent death of a conservancy worker, Joy, in the Amayizhanchan canal hit headlines across the state. However, for sanitation workers like Shibu, the news did not come as a surprise.
“This was at least reported. But last year, my friend died after returning from cleaning a septic tank in one of the neighbourhoods around Cheriyathura. As soon as he entered the washroom to cleanse himself, he fainted. People called it natural death. But just after work in an environment where you are required to hold your breath to stop the stench from entering every bit of your insides, can it be so easily disposed of as natural?” he wonders.
The death of 42-year-old Joy while cleaning the Amayizhanchan canal two weeks ago may have upped the angst about the city’s erroneous waste disposal and management systems. However, a graver issue remains unnoticed. Hence, the plight of the conservancy workers, especially those involved in manual scavenging, remains invisible in society. As per a 2013 Act, manual scavenging is prohibited either as employment or engagement, with a proper mechanism in place for their rehabilitation.
Now, they are an invisible lot. Most are scared to speak up as they are engaged by contractors who take up sanitation work for government establishments. One such conservancy worker, who wishes to remain anonymous, stays near Manchavila on the outskirts of the district, where Joy hailed from. He refused to speak because he feared the job he occasionally gets also would go away from him. “I have a family to take care of,” he mumbles as he walks away.
Even now they are approached for cleaning septic tanks and entering manholes. The workers say their condition remaining fragile. “Most of us suffer from respiratory ailments,” explains 21-year-old Manu, who works along with Shibu.
“While getting into the septic tank, first, we have to let out the toxic gases. Then we smear our bodies with kerosene and dump some of the fuel into the pit to counter the stench,” he explains.
“Some seniors drink before entering the pit, or else they may not be able to tolerate the stench. It chokes our breath. If we wear masks, it adds to the choking,” says Manu.
The corporation vehicles that clear such waste operate mostly within the city. However, in the coastal fringes and suburban areas, it is still the human hands that do the work.
“The roads here are dingy and hence the vehicles cannot come and take away the waste. That’s why we are approached. Usually, it is Rs 500 per pit of the septic tank and three people have to work in one. We work after sundown so as not to disturb others in the locality,” says Rajan Chinnathambi from Valiyathura.
This work comes in rare for the conservancy workers, as Thiruvananthapuram’s sewage treatment systems are a tad better, says Adv Gopi Kochuraman, state nodal officer of the National Safai Karmachari Commission.
“The waste is taken to the Mutthathara plant in Thiruvananthapuram, whereas in Kochi, it is let into the water bodies. We had flagged the issue with the corporation several times, but a solution is yet to come,” he says.
That is why workers are usually approached during the monsoon when septic tanks get filled up with rain water and sand seeping in. “We have to manually dig another pit and pull out the waste by getting into the tank,” explains Manu.
With this work coming in trickles, the workers find jobs as cleaning staff, casual workers or even construction labourers. “Sometimes, the corporation employs us on a temporary basis to clean the drains,” adds Murugan.
What’s the law
Manual scavenging needs to be supplemented with facilities such as the proper provision of safety gear and monthly medical check-ups. To this, Shibu adds, “We are not given any safety gear for cleaning as is stipulated. No gloves, no gumboots, no masks, nothing.”
The workers usually complain of respiratory ailments but are susceptible to different kinds of illnesses due to the hazardous work environment. “And yet, we have hardly heard of the medical scheme,” says Shibu.
According to Gopi, he had a tough time reaching out to the workers.
“Finally, after much enquiry, we found information about some places in the city where manual scavenging is still being done. It is done covertly. By the side of some platforms of the railway station here, there are septic tanks and pits that are cleared using these workers. This work is usually done on Mondays. On Monday, our team is going to inspect one such activity,” he says.
However, though people are made to engage in such work, not many are receiving any benefits stipulated by the National Safai Karamcharis Finance and Development Corporation.
“None of the scheme benefits has reached the workers or their families. The schemes have to be routed through three nodal agencies — State Backward Classes Development Corporation, State Women’s Development Corporation, and State SC/ST Commission. However, till now, the benefits have not reached the people concerned. And the workers themselves are not aware of the reservations for them in fields such as education,” says Gopi.
Also, Kerala does not have an exclusive commission for such workers, he adds. “Nobody monitors their needs. After 2021, the national commission is taking up at least part of their concerns in the state,” he adds.
However, none of the workers TNIE spoke to knew of the benefits and rehabilitation schemes due to them. Neither are there unions to voice their demands. Their children study unnoticed in schools because if they are known to be conservancy workers’ children, they may face their peers’ scorn. “So, I have told my kids to tell everyone their father is a construction worker,” Shibu says.
And to pay their children’s tuition, they take up extra work. “Our struggle should end with us. Our kids shouldn’t have to do this anymore,” says Rajan. At least, the next generation should be free, he smiles.