Guidelines to ensure safety of sanitation workers are being prepared, says Minister

A workshop to train sanitation workers in skills needed to operate sewer cleaning equipment has been launched. In the first phase, they are being trained in Chennai, Madurai, Coimbatore and Maraimalai Nagar

Minister for Municipal Administration K.N. Nehru inspecting the training workshop in Chennai on Friday. | Photo Credit: B. Jothi Ramalingam

The government is keen on implementing a mechanised sewer cleaning process to prevent manual scavenging deaths, Municipal Administration Minister K.N. Nehru said here on Friday.

Inaugurating a workshop to train sanitation workers in skills needed to operate sewer cleaning equipment, he said the training programme was part of the Sanitation Workers’ Development Scheme launched recently. In the first phase, sanitation workers and sewerage lorry drivers and operators are being trained in Chennai, Madurai, Coimbatore and Maraimalai Nagar.

Guidelines are also being prepared on safety aspects to be kept in mind during the cleaning of sewers to prevent manual scavenging deaths. Awareness must be created in urban local bodies to prevent sanitation workers from entering sewers and septic tanks, he said.

Moreover, sewerage lorries will have to carry out trips only after obtaining licence from local bodies and tracked through GPS. Residents may book lorries for sewage disposal through the helpline 14420 from June 15 in Chennai and June 30 in other parts of the State, Mr. Nehru said.

The training programme will also cover aspects such as maintenance of sewerage lorries and proper handling of safety equipment. He also appealed to the residents to exercise their duty to ensure use of safety gear during the cleaning of sewers with prior approval from local bodies.

Residents can send complaints on manual scavenging to grfocmwssb@gmail.com and fsmhelpline@gmail.com.

Mr. Nehru also released a handbook for sewerage lorry operators at the workshop in the presence of officials from various departments, including the Metrowater, Greater Chennai Corporation and Municipal Administration and Water Supply.