Workers engaged in sanitation work of the town on the main road and various wards and layouts are exposed to health hazards as they do not use protective gear like jackets, gloves, masks, aprons and shoes provided to them.
People working as dumpsite waste pickers and sewage cleaners are highly susceptible to diseases like diarrhoea. Besides, the incidence of tuberculosis, bronchitis, asthma, pneumonia, dysentery, parasitic infections and malnutrition is also high among waste pickers.
Workers engaged in cleanliness of septic tanks and sewage lines are exposed to harmful micro organisms and high quantities of methane and hydrogen sulphide.
Safety gear
Sanitation workers working in septic tanks should be provided with long rubber gloves, a water proof hat, goggles, respirators, rubber boots, long pants over boots. Solid waste collectors should also be provided with high visibility jackets, protective clothing, shoes, boots, masks and gloves.
Sanitation workers need to be regularly vaccinated against deadly diseases like hepatitis A and B, tetanus, diphtheria, typhoid and encephalitis.
There are 23 wards in the town. The layouts in the outskirts of the town are also included. There are about 28,350 families residing in the town. As against this there are only 12 permanent sanitation workers, 3 workers on daily wages, 27 sanitation workers on contract and three tractor drivers.
Waste gathered
On the main roads of the town there are shops, restaurants and pavement vendors. The waste from these get piled up on the sides of the roads. There are garbage bins in various wards.
In some places the garbage remains uncleared for several days. The garbage gets scattered on the roads due to forging by dogs, pigs and fowl. The drains stink due to their blocking by garbage.
The reluctance to use protective gear by the sanitation workers exposes them to contagious diseases and other health and safety hazards. However, the sanitation workers say that they work for six hours, resulting in profuse sweating.
