The Hindu 30.11.2009
State to do away with manual cleaning of drains
B.S. Ramesh
| A policy decision, which comes in the wake of several deaths, can help bring in relief to pourakarmikas |
Six have either drowned or suffocated to death
Government to introduce mechanised system
BANGALORE: In what could come as a major relief to pourakarmikas in the State, the Government has taken a policy decision to immediately do away with manual cleaning of manholes, sewer lines and septic tanks.
This move comes in the wake of deaths of several pourakarmikas who were asked to manually clean clogged sewer lines and overflowing manholes. More than six persons have either drowned or have suffocated to death when they were engaged in cleaning manholes and sewer lines.
Under pressure from human rights group and also at the receiving end of a petition by People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) in the Karnataka High Court, the Government took a policy decision to do away with manual cleaning and instead, replace it with a mechanised system.
There are more than 15,000 pourakarmikas in urban local bodies in the State, and the municipal bodies have no safety equipment to give to the pourakarmikas when they are asked to clean up drains and septic tanks.
Human rights bodies, including PUCL, point out that safety gloves, helmets, ropes, gumboots and safety clothing are a must when pourakarmikas are asked to enter manholes or clean drains. Often, the safety drill is disregarded, leading to fatalities, they have said.
Taking note of these fatalities, the Department of Municipal Administration has asked all urban local bodies to discontinue the practice of allowing or forcing sanitation workers to manually enter manholes and septic tanks. The local bodies have been instructed to immediately stop such practices.
They have been directed to make adequate provision in the budget for purchasing mechanised instruments and equipment for cleaning drains, manholes and sewer lines.
The department has also decided to scientifically train pourakarmikas in cleaning drains and manholes. The programme is being taken up with help from the State Institute of Urban Training. The local bodies have been asked to constitute a high-level committee comprising urban planners, non-governmental organisations and experts to look into the issue.
Salary revision
The department has decided to revise the salary of the pourakarmikas. It has decided to pay a compensation of Rs. 10 lakh to a pourakarmika in case he is injured when cleaning a manhole, sewer line or septic tank. It has decided to launch a comprehensive medical check-up programme to cover all pourakarmikas.
Sources in the Government told The Hindu that the Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Sewerage Board has called for tenders to procure six high-flow machines priced at Rs. 1 crore each for cleaning clogged drains and manholes.
The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has decided to purchase 46 jetting and sucking machines at a cost of Rs. 30 lakh each. It plans to purchase 15 more such machines so that it can completely do away with manual labour of cleaning drains and manholes.
