KMC eradicates manual scavenging in Kolkata
Kolkata: At a time when the country is yet to totally put a stop to the practice of manual scavenging, according to Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), the civic body has been able to end such a practice in the city with the deployment of man-hole desilting machines and is planning to procure 18 more such machines by this September.
The fund is being provided by Kolkata Environmental Improvement Investment Program (KEIIP).
To eliminate hazardous cleaning, stop deaths of sewer and septic tank workers and ensure their safety and dignity, it was only in the beginning of July that the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs jointly formulated a scheme namely National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE). This scheme will be implemented in all 4800+ Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) of the country, during the three years up to 2025-26 with an outlay of Rs 349.70 crore.
Reports reveal that the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has said only 508 districts out of the total 766 in the country have declared themselves manual-scavenging free. The good news is Kolkata is one of them where the KMC has been able to totally put a stop to this inhuman practice.
A KMC official of the Sewerage and Drainage department told Millennium Post that the civic body has been able to successfully stop manual scavenging which has often resulted in the deaths of workers who get down the sewer without any proper gears and often die of asphyxiation or inhalation of poisonous gases.
The official said the achievement has been possible with the procurement of man-hole desilting machines. It was learnt that presently KMC has allotted such machines for every ward. There are a total of 144 wards under the civic body. The official further added that the KMC is procuring additional 18 man-hole desilting machines as a reserve in addition to the existing stock. These are expected to be procured by September this year.
Asked why then in some areas in Kolkata, especially before monsoon, it is seen that manual scavengers are being sent down the manhole, the official said such cases are illegal. Some private entities may be hiring some labourers to get them to do such cleaning but KMC does not allow use of manual scavengers.
