When many children are busy attending summer camps during holidays, 17-year-old Satish of Kodungaiyur spends his vacation cleaning the Chennai Corporation’s waterway near the Kodungaiyur dumping yard amidst stench and unhygienic environment. Dressed in a T-shirt and shorts and wearing a life jacket and a mask, Satish stands in the dirty canal on his bare feet. Wading through the murky water, he, along with a few boys of his age and some elders, stoop down to pluck the hyacinths in the Kodungaiyur Link Canal. “I study at Chennai School in Stanley Nagar. I do work like this during holidays and earn Rs. 550 daily,” says Satish, scratching his legs.
The civic body is carrying out the cleaning work in the 27-km-long waterway as it has turned into a breeding ground for mosquitoes. The teenager and others clean around 750 meters a day.
“For my age, it may sound odd that I am studying in class 9. But I took many breaks in between,” says Satish, whose father works as driver in Public Works Department.
“Officials give us injections to build immunity before we start such work,” he says.
Meanwhile, child rights activists say that children should not be exposed to such hazardous work even if they have protective equipment. “No one can be held responsible if any untoward incident takes place. Besides, since they cannot be part of any union, there will not be anyone to fight for their rights,” says R. Vidyasagar, former child protection specialist, UNICEF.
“Lured by money”
A Corporation official said the boy would have taken up the work without the knowledge of the parents. “They are lured by the money. Even during working days, parents send the children for work, so that they get something to eat. We will ensure that children are not hired for Corporation work,” the official adds.
A senior Chennai Corporation official said he would look into the issue.
