Subhash Kumar (25), who was standing atop a tricycle filled with garbage and emptying it at Gulmohar Park in south Delhi on Thursday morning, did not have gloves, masks, or boots on.
“I don’t know anything about the disease [COVID-19],” the youth hailing from U.P.’s Mathura said, as he transferred wastes from the tricycle to a metal box with bare hands. Kumar works for the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), under a contractor.
His friend standing next to him also did the same without any gear on. “They [government] gave us gloves, but it was very thin and got torn,” he said.
Even after the Capital reporting 40 COVID-19 cases and one death so far, children to adults, who work as ragpickers were not wearing proper gloves, boots, masks, or using sanitisers, a spot check by The Hindu in central, south, and east Delhi has revealed.
Also, many garbage collectors and sanitation workers working for different civic bodies here said there were not enough masks and gloves and they were not given hand sanitisers. Experts said this is “dangerous” for the workers and could lead to infections. They said the government should provide them gears.
At Mayur Vihar extension in east Delhi, 12-year-old Vikas was digging into a waste dump, with bare hands. He did not have a mask or footwear on. “My father also works as a ragpicker and I earn about ₹50-100 a day,” the 12-year-old, who hails from Bihar, said. “I had bought a mask, but it’s torn now,” he added.
The boy said he knew about the disease, but shook his head when asked if he knew how it spread. He said there was no aid from the government.
“When there is an outbreak of such a highly contagious disease, ragpickers should be given PPE [personal protective equipment], but they have not been not provided any equipment,” said Delhi-based waste management expert, Swati Singh Sambyal. “These people live in densely populated areas and if even one of them gets infected from some waste from a quarantined house, image the blast of infections that will follow,” she said.
She said that even safai karmacharis working for government agencies, mainly under contractors, have not been provided enough equipment.
“The government is doing nothing for the ragpickers. They are not even spreading awareness,” said Chitra Mukherjee of Chintan, an NGO which works for ragpickers.
Multiple other workers who work for the SDMC and the East Delhi Municipal Corporation, under contractors, said they were not given enough protective equipment or sanitisers. In New Delhi Municipal Council limits, people working for the government were, however, largely found using masks and rubber gloves.
Phool Chand (35), was sporting a single-use mask at BK Dutt Colony in central Delhi. “You have to change gloves every two to four days. How can I afford it? The government should provide us gloves,” he said.
The ragpickers The Hindu spoke to had little idea about COVID-19, but said they need to keep on working to make ends meet.
