Representative image | Photo credit: Times Now
New Delhi: The unauthorized and dangerous cleaning of septic tanks was a practice that, despite several laws, promises, and high demands on advances and developments in this regard, has not completely stopped.
And this widespread practice of people being used to clean sewers has claimed hundreds of lives each year, lives that are few after death.
At a time when death by manual scavengers is being reduced to mere numbers and dates in government records, this issue must be investigated with compassion and greater care.
Times Now tracks down the relatives of two plumbing workers who have lost loved ones to this gruesome practice that has been prevalent in society since time immemorial.
Although life has gone on for them for the past 3.5 years, the memories of the accident still haunt these families.
It was in August 2017 that Rekha lost her husband Annu Singh along with two other men who went into a sewer to clean it but were suffocated by the leak of toxic gas.
Annu Singh, 28, was the sole breadwinner in his family and his death brought the world down for Rekha and his family, who also had a 5-year-old child.
Rekha, who now works as a peon in a private company, tells of the horror: “I always asked him: ‘Aren’t you afraid if you go down the drain? ‘
“I can’t even look into the sewer for too long. He himself was aware of the dangers, but used to say that he had no way of supporting the family. Every time he went out for this job I was scared and prayed that he would get home safely. It was like a constant sword hanging over our heads, ”she told Times Now.
Another man who died in the sewer was 32-year-old Joginder. His brother Ajay, with whom we spoke, shared how life for the family has changed completely after his brother’s tragic death.
Ajay, himself a plumbing worker, said he was actually asked to work in the same sewer, but refused to know the implications. “Little did I know that I would lose my brother in the same drain,” he says.
Ajay said the only reason anyone would agree to do this job is because lack of money will force them into this profession even though it is not a high paying job.
Although workers are aware of the dangers of the work, they accept the risks and try to take as many precautions as possible to avoid such fatal incidents. In the case of his brother, however, no such precautions had been taken, Ajay said.
The loss of these lives has left a void for the families that will never be filled. His brother’s death had such an impact on Ajay and his family that despite financial difficulties, he left the plumbing job and learned to drive. He’s now working as a driver, which he thinks is a much better and more worthy job.
Although dangerous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks without protective equipment and adhering to strict operating procedures is prohibited by the Government of India under the Manual Scavengers Prohibition Act and its Rehabilitation Act of 2013, the practice continues.
According to the response from the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in Lok Sabha, 340 people have died cleaning sewers and septic tanks in the past five years.
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