I am…Sasidharan Pillai, Pipe layer

June 04, 2014 04:59 pm | Updated October 18, 2016 12:52 pm IST - Thiruvananthapuram

Sasidharan Pillai has been laying pipes for the last 38 years.

Sasidharan Pillai has been laying pipes for the last 38 years.

Occupation: Pipe layer

We are a bit rushed at the moment. We have to finish laying PVC pipes for a Kerala Water Authority project in two 30m trenches before sundown and, most importantly, before it rains. And we have only just finished digging the trenches.

First we had to use a pneumatic drill to break through the layers of tar and then manually dig a 30x2x1m trench using pickaxes and shovels. It took seven of us almost eight hours to complete both the trenches. Now we have to cut the pipes to precision – using an hacksaw blade.

We don’t have any fancy laser or precision tools, so our measurements need to be accurate, not a centimetre off. You have to have a steady hand or else the saw will drift and leave you with an uneven cut. I usually leave the cutting to the younger members of the crew as they have steadier hands than 63-year-old yours truly. Besides, I actually prefer the digging part of it. It’s hard work but I am used to it. After all I have been a pipe layer for the past 38 years now.

I actually started off as a head-load worker in my teenage years and then started as an apprentice with my maternal uncle, Sreedharan Pillai, who was an expert pipe layer. Together we have worked on almost all the major pipelines in the city.

I worked with him for 30 years, until he retired some eight years ago, following ill health. I still remember my first job – laying the pipe from Pettah to Velakudi junction. To my knowledge, there has been no leak on that stretch thus far.

Actually no one can predict cracking in a pipeline, particularly the older ones. It depends on a variety of factors from the lay of the land to undue pressure from heavy vehicles. I have worked with galvanised iron pipes, then AC (Asbestos-Cement) pipes, cast iron pipes and now PVC pipes.

Of course, none is as easy to handle as PVC pipes, which are light weight and low maintenance. Unlike other varieties of pipes here there will be no blockages because of alum deposits on PVC pipes. However, it must be carefully installed and bedded to ensure longitudinal cracking does not occur.

There will always be a supervisor/fitter from the KWA to help us figure out angles and other related stuff. Because of my experience in the field, I am often called upon to fix leakages on major pipelines. On those occasions you have to work against the clock, come rain or shine.

I enjoy my work. I have married off my two daughters and I am living a peaceful life with my wife in our house in Mulayara, near Vilappilsala. My only wish is that I have the health to continue working till the end of my life.

(A weekly column on the men and women who make Thiruvananthapuram what it is)

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