Tamil Nadu: Three Manual Scavengers Die In A Span Of Four Days In Chennai

A worker died cleaning a septic tank in Injambakkam on Sunday, while two others met a similar end in another incident in Tambaram on Wednesday.

Workers stand beside a whirlpool from an open manhole in floodwaters following rain | Credit: AFP

Chennai: Three workers died while carrying out manual scavenging in a span of one week in Chennai. The first death was reported from Injambakkam on Sunday while two others died while clearing a septic tank at a house in Tambaram on Wednesday.

In the incident reported on Wednesday, two workers died due to asphyxiation while clearing an underground septic tank at a house in Varadharajapuram near Tambaram. The police have registered a case against the owner of the house under the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and Rehabilitation Act, 2013.

The Act prohibits the construction or maintenance of insanitary latrines and the employment of any person for manual scavenging or hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks.

The police identified the two deceased persons as V Rajesh of Indira Gandhi Nagar in Manimangalam in Kanchipuram and A Ezhumalai of Mannivakkam in Chengalpattu, according to a report in The New Indian Express.

Jayakumar (34), the owner of the house in Varadarajapuram, had called the two workers to clean an overflowing septic tank on Tuesday. The workers removed a load of sewage from the tank that day and returned to work on Wednesday to finish the job.

According to the report quoted above, Ezhumalai went inside the tank since the suction tube had got blocked and he wanted to clear it using an iron rod. 

He reportedly fainted the moment he entered the tank. Rajesh, who went to check on Ezhumalai, fainted too. Both of them died after inhaling the poisonous gases emanating from the sewer that was accumulated for years. 

The neighbours who got to know about the incident immediately alerted the Manimangalam police who retrieved the bodies with the help of Fire and Rescue Services personnel. The bodies were sent to Chrompet GH for autopsy.

The police registered a case against Jayakumar under relevant Indian Penal Code sections for causing death due to negligence, and also under the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and Rehabilitation Act. 

On Sunday, a worker died while clearing a septic tank in a house Injambakkam locality, after inhaling poisonous gases. While the 29-year-old man died, his co-worker has been admitted to hospital in a critical condition.