Aiming 0 death, 500 cities put an end to manual sewer-cleaning | India News
[ad_1]
NEW DELHI: In a major achievement towards putting an end to manual cleaning of sewers and septic tanks, 500 cities across India have declared themselves as ‘Safai Mitra Surakshit Shehar’ by achieving targets for safety of all sanitation workers engaged in these tasks.
These cities have adopted mechanised cleaning of sewers and in case any sanitation worker needs to enter a manhole, they are provided with adequate safety gear. This is aimed at bringing down the fatality of sanitation workers to zero. These cities have got necessary institutional capacity and equipment norms and provide safe working conditions for sanitation workers.
These cities have adopted mechanised cleaning of sewers and in case any sanitation worker needs to enter a manhole, they are provided with adequate safety gear. This is aimed at bringing down the fatality of sanitation workers to zero. These cities have got necessary institutional capacity and equipment norms and provide safe working conditions for sanitation workers.
Times View
It is heartening that no one needs to enter the sewers and septic tanks, home to killer gases, in 500 cities of India. One hopes that the remaining cities too will also adopt mechanised cleaning of sewers in the near future. In July this year, Union minister for social justice and empowerment Virendra Kumar said in the Lok Sabha that 347 such deaths had occurred in the past five years.
“The Safai Mitra Surakshit Shehar declaration done by 500 cities aligns with Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban’s long standing goal of promoting sustainable sanitation practices and acting as a catalyst for the transformation of every ‘manhole’ into a machine hole,” the housing and urban affairs ministry said. The scheme was launched with the target of ensuring ‘zero fatalities in sanitation work’. On World Toilet Day in 2019, the urban affairs ministry had launched the ‘Safai Mitra Suraksha Challenge’ through which it had identified 100 lighthouse cities that were well equipped in terms of sanitation infrastructure and facilities.
The states have set up Responsible Sanitation Authorities (RSAs) and Emergency Response Sanitation Units (ESRUs) at the district level and are now prioritising training and capacity building of Safai Mitras.
[ad_2]
Source link
