Home / Disasters and Accidents / Nagpur Civic Body Under Fire for Hazardous Manual Cleaning
Nagpur Civic Body Under Fire for Hazardous Manual Cleaning
4 Jul
Summary
- Sanitary worker entered a filth-filled stormwater chamber to clear blockage.
- NMC officials allowed manual entry after machines failed to remove sludge.
- Worker lacked safety gear, raising concerns over occupational norms.
A sanitary worker in Nagpur was reportedly made to enter a filthy stormwater chamber near Loha Pul to clear a blockage on Friday. This happened just two days after a 60-year-old woman died from electrocution, allegedly due to a contractor's damaged cable for the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC).
Despite the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and Rehabilitation Act, 2013, and Supreme Court directives, NMC officials resorted to manual cleaning when suction and jetting machines proved ineffective. The worker stood waist-deep in contaminated water, manually removing sludge and debris.
Safety experts emphasize the dangers of such confined spaces, which can contain toxic gases and oxygen deficiency. The worker entered without any specialized protective gear, including breathing apparatus or safety harnesses, leading to severe questions about NMC's adherence to safety protocols.
This incident follows other recent tragedies, including the deaths of two contractual sanitation workers in May due to entering a toxic sewage chamber without safety equipment. The recurring reliance on manual cleaning, even in stormwater drains, when machines fail, indicates a persistent disregard for workers' safety.
