June 15, 2024
By Rashid Laghari
TANDO MUHAMMAD KHAN:
Tando Muhammad Khan, a town about 30 kilometres from Hyderabad, Sindh, was
struck by tragedy on Monday, June 10, when three sanitation workers lost their lives
in a manhole accident. The workers—Yunus Masih, Yunus Hidayat, and Badal
Gujarati—were attempting to clear a manhole without proper equipment when they
succumbed to loss of oxygen.
Talking to Voicepk, Ratna, the father of Badal Gujrati, said, “No masks or oxygen
were given to my son Badal before he descended into the manhole. He was my only
son. He was thrown into the sewer to die.”
The sequence of events leading to the deaths was horrifying. Badal was the first to
go down into the manhole. When he did not return, another worker followed him in,
and then a third. None of them emerged alive.
Saleem, brother of Yunus Masih, the brother of Yunus Masih, holds the municipal
authorities responsible for Yunus’s death. “They did not die. They were killed due to
the incompetence of the municipal staff.”
Chand, son Yunus Hidayat, says his father died due to lack of protective kits. “My
father died due to a lack of protective kits. If the municipal administration provided
masks and proper safety kits, the lives of people who clean the drains could be
saved.”
Shahnawaz Shah, Chairman of the Municipal Committee, responded to the incident
by stating that the administration had indeed provided safety kits to the sanitation
workers. “It will have to be investigated why these were not used by them,” he said.
He also announced compensation of Rs 300,000 for each of the deceased workers’
families and promised jobs for their heirs.