Thirty-eight-year-old Anil Kumar, a naala beldaar (drain cleaner) with the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) in Kailash Nagar, removes his neatly ironed shirt and trousers, and strips down to his underwear. He then carefully steps down into an almost 15-feet-deep drain to sieve out a load of sludge — a mix of plastic, kitchen waste and even human excreta — with his bare hands.
Family in the dark
For the last decade, manual scavenging has been providing for Mr. Kumar’s family. He, however, has never discussed the nature of his work with his daughters.
“They would not want to know that their father cleans the filth of the neighbourhood. I do not want them to be ashamed of me. Maybe someday, when they are old enough to understand, I will,” he says, removing plastic and banana peels from his feet and shoulders.
Despite a ban on manual scavenging in India, around 250 sanitation workers across municipal corporations in the city follow this practice. The workers get inside storm water drains and sewer lines to clean them, and mostly without any safety gear.
No proper equipment
New Delhi, 04/07/2017: To go with Article by Soumya Pillai -- Sanitation workers in the municipal bodies of delhi, seen cleaning the drain with no safety gear, despite a ban on manual scavenging in New Delhi on July 04, 2017. Photo : R. V. Moorthy
Mr. Kumar and his colleague Joginder finish their eight-hour duty only with a bamboo stick tied to a basket. The condition of this basket has become so poor that it cannot hold any sludge.
A ladder, which is supposed to be used to descend into drains, lies unused as it isn’t strong enough to take any weight.
“We cannot wear any footwear because the normal ones get stuck in the sludge in the drains. And every now and then, bones, needles or glass pieces pierce our feet,” he says.
Two years ago, Mr. Kumar fainted while cleaning a drain in Jahangirpuri. He was rushed to a government hospital, where doctors told him that he had suffered a heart attack due to inhalation of a toxic mix of carbon dioxide and methane from the drains. Soon, his left side was also paralysed.
Monetary woes
New Delhi, 04/07/2017: To go with Article by Soumya Pillai -- Sanitation workers in the municipal bodies of delhi, seen cleaning the drain with no safety gear, despite a ban on manual scavenging in New Delhi on July 04, 2017. Photo : R. V. Moorthy
“I was referred to a private hospital and remained admitted there for two months. Despite belonging to an economically weaker section, I was handed a bill of ₹90,000. I had to take a loan for it, which I am still paying off,” he says.
Though doctors told him not to get back to his job, he took just a little over a month to start working again.
“If I don’t work, my family cannot eat and my children cannot go to school,” he says.
For all this, the Corporation pays the permanent staffers between ₹15,000 and ₹20,000 per month. However, no health or contingency benefits are given to them.
The contractual and substitute workers are paid ₹200-₹300 a day.
“Leave aside everything, we did not even get the green caps that were launched for the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan,” says Sachin, another sanitation worker.
The workers claim that they suffer from problems of the lungs, liver and eyes.
Sanjay Gahlot, the president of the Swatantra Mazdoor Vikas Sanyukt Morcha, says only 5-10% of manual scavengers who work with the municipalities in Delhi live till their retirement age.
While some die on the job due to inhalation of toxic gases, others drown after they misjudge the height of drains. Many others suffer from fatal diseases due to constant exposure to waste.
As per the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, five manual scavengers died in the Capital between 2014 and 2016.
‘Difficult job’
New Delhi, 04/07/2017: To go with Article by Soumya Pillai -- Sanitation workers in the municipal bodies of delhi, seen cleaning the drain with no safety gear, despite a ban on manual scavenging in New Delhi on July 04, 2017. Photo : R. V. Moorthy
“These workers enter the sewer lines after consuming alcohol. This job is very difficult with a sane mind,” adds Mr. Gahlot.
EDMC Mayor Neema Bhagat says the civic body can ensure better facilities for its sanitation staff if it has enough funds.
“The Corporation is in a major financial mess because of two separate parties leading the municipalities and the Delhi government. Our priority is to pay the sanitation workers their salaries and then improve their working conditions,” says Ms. Bhagat, adding that Delhi government and the civic bodies should work together for the welfare of sanitation staff.
Dunu Roy, activist and director of city-based NGO Hazards Centre, blames the practice of manual scavenging on a “structural problem”.
“Delhi has around 20 lakh slum dwellers and around 35 lakh people living in unauthorised colonies. The amount of waste generated from these areas is so huge that even the sewer lines cannot handle it,” says Mr. Roy.
‘Demand to stay’
He also says that apart from faecal matter, plastic and sanitary napkins tend to get clogged in the sewer lines, and someone is required to clean them.
“Despite the law, there is a demand for manual scavengers. There will always be people available to clean drains,” he adds.
