Manual scavenging continues in Singara Chennai despite ban

CHENNAI: The failure to provide a proper sewerage system to about 3,000 families residing in Choolaipallam in MGR Nagar has led to the residents employing manual scavengers to clear the blocks in the sewer lines in blatant violation of rules.

There are more than 3,000 families on 56 streets in Choolaipallam, which falls under Ward 137 of the Greater Chennai Corporation. Most of the people here are daily wage labourers and the land they live on is classified as lake poramboke. “As the place is classified as poramboke, the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) denied us proper sewage system,” said K Ramasamy (name changed), who, like many others here, had settled here about three decades ago. In the absence of proper sewerage, the buildings here resort to sending their waste directly to the Adyar river, polluting the river, said E Ravi, a CPM worker in Virugambakkam. “These connections have become another threat to the already polluted river,” he added. The network of pipes that carry the waste was not done correctly, because of which blockage due to heavy load and leaks are usual. Thus, said a resident, many streets are filled with sewage and its stench permeates the area.

“When the sewer lines get blocked, the Metro Water refuses to provide assistance, which leaves us with no other option than to deploy workers to clear the block,” said a resident of Choolaipallam. When DT Next visited the spot, two workers were seen clearing the sewage line with bare hands, without any safety measures. “Most of these workers are from the Scheduled Caste,” said another resident, who preferred anonymity.

“Manual scavenging is barred under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2103. Those employing manual scavengers can be jailed for up to 10 years,” noted K Samuel Raja, general secretary, Tamil Nadu Untouchability Eradication Front. When contacted, Virugambakkam MLA AMV Prabhakara Raja said the government was working to fulfill the demand for a proper sewerage network. “The tender for this has already been floated, and the residents here would have proper connections by February 2024,” Prabhakara Raja said. Ward councillor K Dhanasekaran added that the works are being undertaken using the Rs 6.65 crore that Chief Minister MK Stalin allotted under the Chennai River Restoration Trust. The work would start in a couple of weeks, he assured.