THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Union Government prohibited manual scavenging two decades ago, but it continues to be a reality in the capital city. Though the job title has changed these hapless workers are now called the 'cleaning staff' under the sewage division of Kerala Water Authority (KWA) — the job is still the same.
In 2013, the Centre amended the Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act 1993 to form the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act. The offence is punishable by up to two years of imprisonment.
Their work starts at 9 am. These workers get inside the sewers which extend from 1.5 metres to 10 metres, using a rod to clean the waste. Sometimes, the blocks cannot be moved by the rod alone, forcing them to immerse themselves in sewage waste. Though the shift ends by 3 pm, they work overtime on most days.
“Nothing has changed. No machines brought by the government could ease our job,” says Gireeshan Nair S, a cleaning staffer working with the sewage subdivision.
The authorities claim to be supplying them with gears, including gloves and other accessories. “We are provided with raincoats instead of gears. The gloves have worn out already. We wear a towel when we need to get inside the manhole,” he adds. No antiseptic lotions or soaps are provided to these workers. All they do is take Tetanus injection every three months.
The Machines
As of now, the Kuriyathi division owns two large and two small jet air machines, two sucking machine and a few bucket-cleaning machines. “However, most of them do not function properly. For the machines to be used, a separate contract has to be made. The expenses run to over Rs 1 lakh during the contract period. For the same reason, the department is reluctant to use them,” said a cleaning staff.
The bucket cleaning machines are only used during Attukal Pongala to clean the temple premises. Otherwise, they are left to rot. Even if the cleaning staff ask for them, they are discouraged citing lame excuses.
However, KWA officials deny the claims. “The machines are used by contractors. Only the excess ones are kept here,” said Sarath Narayanan, assistant executive engineer, sewage wing.
Meanwhile, the department officials said they are planning to bring in new gears to replace the raincoats.
Delayed payment
While the 30-odd staff can live without proper gear or medicines, what ails them the most is the delayed payment by the contractors in Kuriyathi and Sasthamangalam subdivisions. "The contractors refuse to pay us. They cite excuses. Most of the days, we receive only half the wage," said a staff. According to a few workers, the pending amount comes to the tune of `20,000. The daily wage of the workers is `775.