March 19, 2024
By Mateen Ali
LAHORE:
Two sanitation workers – 25-year-old Asif Moon Maseeh and 23-year-old Shan Maseeh – lost their lives to toxic gases while attempting to clear a choked manhole near Punj Pullian, Faisalabad. They fainted inside the manhole soon after they entered it, and succumbed to the toxic fumes before they could be rescued.
Hailing from Chak-10/JB Kurrianwala, they were identified as employees of the Faisalabad Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) but were hired by Sapphire Marque Management to clear the sewage pipeline.
The incident serves as a stark reminder of the hazards faced by sanitation workers in the line of duty, highlighting the need for stringent safety measures and regulatory oversight to prevent such accidents. It also sheds light on a recurring and alarming trend in Pakistan’s sanitation sector.
In January 2024, two workers met a similar fate in Karachi’s DHA area while cleaning sewerage lines. The common concern in these tragedies is the lack of protective gear, including gas masks, stairs, and gloves, essential for ensuring worker safety in such hazardous environments.
Despite persistent calls from human rights organizations, like the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, for the provision of adequate protective gear, sanitation workers continue to face grave risks on the job. Many suffer from debilitating health conditions such as asthma, tuberculosis, hepatitis B or C, backaches, cancer, and other respiratory or skin diseases due to prolonged exposure to hazardous substances.
The failure to provide protective measures for sanitation workers amounts to criminal negligence, yet investigations into such incidents are often inadequate, with most deaths being labelled as accidents.
In 2021 Samina Bibi took legal action against the management of Sargodha Metropolitan Corporation who forced her husband into a poisonous manhole without safety gear. She was pressured by the government officials into settling out of court.
The challenges faced by sanitation workers extend beyond safety concerns. Many workers, predominantly from marginalised minorities, endure exploitative working conditions, including less than minimum wages, unregulated working hours, and delayed payments. The government’s discriminatory practices, such as listing sanitation jobs under ‘only for non-Muslims’ categories in job advertisements, further exacerbate the plight of these vulnerable workers.
Despite numerous deaths, the government has yet to take meaningful action to address the systemic issues plaguing the sanitation sector. It is imperative that immediate steps are taken to prioritise the safety and rights of sanitation workers, including the provision of adequate protective gear, enforcement of labour laws, and an end to discriminatory practices. Until then, the lives and dignity of those who keep our cities clean will continue to hang in the balance.