The washer men of Alagiripuram in Thiruvanaikoil encounter tough working conditions in the absence of a proper infrastructure for washing and drying clothes.
Alagiripuram, located on the southern banks of the Kollidam Rivern, has been an important centre for washing clothes for more than 70 years. Members belonging to around 300 families are engaged in the work. However, there is no infrastructure for the workers to wash clothes.
Until 1990, they were following the traditional method of washing clothes. They switched over to washing clothes with detergent.
New technological advancements have come up in the industry. Instead of manually washing the clothes, the workers can wash and dry large number of clothes within an hour through mechanised machine. However, the washermen of Alagiripuram continue to wash clothes manually.
As per the standard practice, they collect clothes from their customers and take the clothes to the middle of Kollidam and wash them. They subsequently dry the clothes in the air by clipping them on ropes. It consumes energy, time and water. Many feel that the working conditions are really tough.
Though a section of workers are accustomed to the practice, others feel that the State government or the Tiruchi Corporation should have erected a mechanised washing (dhoi) ghat at Alagiripuram to enable them to wash clothes automatically. There are people, who voice for the setting up of a ghat with the provision of a water tank, washing stones and driers.
They encounter further hurdles and livelihood issues whenever surplus water is discharged into the Kollidam from Mukkombu. The livelihood was severely hit for more than two weeks after surplus water was discharged into Kollidam recently.
“We face livelihood issues whenever the Mettur dam is opened for discharging surplus water. We need a modern washing ghat for our community. It will increase our productivity. It will also reduce consumption of water and detergent for washing clothes,” says M. Satish Kumar, a washer man in Alagiripuram.
He said that it would help the washer men to carry out work in all weather conditions and rainy days. Alagiripuram was a better place to erect high capacity mechanised washing units. If there were issues in installing mechanised units, the Tiruchi Corporation should at least create basic infrastructure for washing, drying and ironing clothes.
When contacted, Mayor M. Anbazhagan told The Hindu that a few places on the banks of the Kollidam river in Thiruvanaikoil had been shortlisted for creating basic infrastructure. A clear picture on the proposal would emerge within a week or two.
Published - September 04, 2024 08:36 pm IST
