CHENNAI: Rains throw life out of gear every monsoon but Chennai residents owe it to a posse of unsung heroes to stay afloat. Every year during monsoon, the one section of people who are often overlooked or under-appreciated are the conservancy and relief workers who work round the clock to keep the city free of stench and dirt. TNIE spoke to the foot soldiers of monsoon relief operations in Chennai to understand the challenges faced by them.
Sanitation workers are involved in waste collection and disposal while relief workers are involved in clearing the storm-water drains and silt catchpits. The corporation is implementing solid waste management in two ways: one through contractual staff employed by two outsourcing agencies in several zones and through National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM) workers in some zones. Though the nature of their jobs does not offer much, we received diverse responses from both.
A sanitation worker with the corporation under the NULM in Ambattur spoke to TNIE on condition of anonymity, “We usually reach the workplace by 6 am and begin work by 6.30 after roll call. The toil continues till 2 pm. During monsoon, however, there is no shift timing, as we should be on the field. Due to the shortage of staff, our work has doubled. The safety gear like the raincoats provided to us won’t last even for three months. After which we had to spend from our pocket to buy safety gear.”
Lack of accessible toilets is another major concern for sanitation workers during monsoon. While many zones do not have this problem, it is an issue in some divisions across zones. A sanitation worker from Ambattur zone said, “While it rains, we will have to work nonstop and our division office does not even have a proper toilet. We are forced to use public toilets which are in squalor.” Shortage of conservancy staff and workload of existing workers also echoed in the previous corporation meeting as raised by many councillors from non-privatised zones.
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