Maharashtra: 5 Sanitation Workers Cleaning Septic Tank Die After Inhaling Toxic Fumes

Six workers were cleaning a septic tank in a farmhouse in Maharashtra's Parbhani District, during which they inhaled toxic fumes, while five workers died, and one is in critical condition.

An accidental death case was registered at the Sonpeth police station and a probe was underway.

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In a shocking incident, five workers died while they were cleaning a septic tank and inhaled poisonous fumes in Maharashtra’s Parbhani district, police told PTI on Friday. According to the report, another worker who was working along with them, is in serious condition and is admitted to a district hospital, around 500 km from Mumbai. The incident occurred on Thursday evening in the Bhaucha Tanda area under the jurisdiction of Sonpeth Police Station, the police official told PTI.

As per the report, the six labourers were working on cleaning the septic tank located in a farm on Thursday afternoon, when they started to feel suffocated and unwell. Due to their condition, they were rushed to the nearest hospital, where five of the workers were declared dead on arrival. 

An accidental death case was registered at the Sonpeth police station and a probe was underway, said the official.

A similar incident occurred in Haryana’s Jhajjar where four people died, after inhaling poisonous gas while cleaning a septic tank, in April. The four workers were fitting pipes in the septic tank  in the Jakhoda village when they choked to death after inhaling fumes. 

"It has been reported that four people died while cleaning a septic tank in Jakhoda village. A person along with a mechanic and two other labourers was cleaning the septic tank of his house. The accident is being investigated," Deputy Commissioner told ANI.

In July 2022, the government informed the Lok Sabha that 188 people had died while undertaking hazardous cleaning of sewer and septic tanks since 2019.

In March, Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha said that the number of deaths occurring due to hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks has substantially come down in the country. He said the number of such deaths has come down to 24 in 2021 against 118 in 2019.