The democratisation of sanitation work

It is opening doors to thousands of Afghan immigrants who are eager to take on the jobs

KARACHI:

For decades now, most jobs pertaining to the local garbage disposal sector have been passed down over generations in the same community, leading to over 80 per cent of the current sanitation workforce being comprised of non-Muslim citizens.

As historically, Muslims, owing to some sense of arrogance, would see the line of work as beneath their dignity, the government too would specifically seek out people belonging to other religions in job advertisements for the sector. Over time, this may have institutionalised the bigoted concept of sanitary jobs being an exclusively non-Muslim profession, but at the same time, it also allowed some kind of job security to working-class Hindus and Christians who’ve populated the field.

However, the advent of private companies liaising with local government departments and other private institutions has now led to the democratisation of the sector, opening doors to thousands of Afghan immigrants who are eager to take on jobs previously eschewed by local Muslims.

While at the same time, the new crop of working-class non-Muslims has also shown little interest in guarding the sector, appearing keener to expand their horizons and explore other fields that offer greater prospects of social mobility.

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According to Arshad Masih, an old-hand sanitation worker from Karachi, for generations his family had been involved in providing garbage cleaning and sanitation services in the city, on the level of streets and flats. “Now, a lot of our jobs are being taken by Afghans, who are enthusiastically hired by private companies liaising with union councils. They are hired in groups of four to five people and have access to their own loading vehicles and carrier bags. They go door-to-door collecting garbage and receive a monthly fee of Rs250 to Rs350 per house. They still don’t sweep streets but have started taking jobs in apartment buildings and directly competing with us, which has been a source of stress in times of pandemic,” he lamented.

Adding to that, Shahbaz, another sweeper who belongs to the Christian community, said that the new generation’s decision to forsake the industry for better prospects on top of direct completion from Afghan immigrants is making it difficult for them to maintain a hold over the sector.

Similarly, Chanda Kumari, an elderly Hindu woman associated with the profession expressed that young girls in her community, whose families had traditionally been involved in cleaning works, are no longer interested in working as cleaners and sweepers. “They are inspired to get an education and the most they are willing to work as are nannies and babysitters, which they consider more dignified than being the house help or street sweeper,” the woman commented.

Per Arif Masih, who supervises the cleaning staff for a government agency, another factor for the falling interest in the sector is that government recruitments are no longer exclusive to non-Muslims. “This has created a competition that we previously never experienced. Gutter-diving and sewage cleaning are the only domains left where the Afghans are not taking our jobs. However, our younger generation sees that as an embarrassing task and is fiercely against the practice of sewage cleaning. They much rather get an education and work in the health sector as caretakers and nurses, rather than being referred to as a sweeper.”

On the other hand, Afghans in the sector maintain that they have no rivalry with any minority group that is involved in the line of work, and just want to make an honest living. “We merely collect household garbage on a private basis, with regard to all rules and regulations. The garbage collected is then taken to Sohrab Goth, where items are separated and sold to private contractors. We are not taking anyone’s job,” Janat Gul, a supervisor for an Afghan cleaning group in Liaquatabad told The Express Tribune.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 9^th, 2022.