They are, undoubtedly, a neglected lot. Every year several sanitary workers die after inhaling toxic gases in manholes and other such places, while working, without protective gears, to clean choked manholes and drains. This has been going on for many years as no attention is being paid to protect those engaged in providing such a significant service to society. The most recent such tragedy occurred in Sanghar where two sanitary workers died while trying to open a choked manhole on a road. Three sanitary workers entered the manhole, and two of them died while the third fell unconscious after they inhaled carbon monoxide gas. Doctors said the third worker was likely to survive.
The two precious lives and many other lives before would have been saved had they been provided with the means to protect themselves from poisonous gases. We don’t know whether it is mandatory for municipal bodies to equip sanitary workers with protective gears. Perhaps, no ordinary person has ever seen a sanitary worker with protective accessories while engaged in jobs where they are exposed to underground toxic gases. However, relatives of the dead workers protested against the municipal authorities for not providing the required life-saving gear. They accused the authorities of forcing them to enter the manhole unprotected, and the municipal workers’ union alleged that the workers died due to neglect on the part of the relevant officials.
A social activist claimed that disposal of solid waste and sanitation had become lingering issues in Sanghar as a result of official corruption and indifference. The situation is no better in other areas of the province either. It is beyond comprehension why human life and issues of hygiene are being neglected. The official policy seems to be: those who have to survive will survive, and those who have to die will die. More lives are lost through neglect than through any other cause. It’s time to turn aside and brood.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 29th, 2020.
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