[Assam] From BBC News/ About Poverty Porn and Then Some

[Chan Mahanta]

Caution: This may be harmful for your national self-esteem!!!

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'My life cleaning Delhi's sewers'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/7872770.stm

India may be spending billions on its high tech space programme but 
its spending on sewers is decidedly low tech and deadly, reports the 
BBC's Rupa Jha.
I will never forget the sight of that thin short man, wearing nothing 
but cotton underpants, strapped into a harness arrangement, 
disappearing down into a dark manhole beneath the streets of my home 
city.
The diameter of the hole was so small that he bruised himself while 
slipping down.
Inside was a dark well, full of sewage, with giant cockroaches 
sticking to the wall.
Before he climbed in I asked him his name. I was really surprised 
when he answered flamboyantly, "Rewa Ram - Son of Khanjan."
I thought: "He must be educated, seems to speak some English." But 
when I asked him, he said: "No. I'm a complete illiterate."
When I looked down that hole into the drains of Delhi, the smell was 
overwhelming. Down below, he was coughing, trying hard to keep 
breathing.
He was struggling to clear a blockage with his bare hands.
Dizzying smell
All of a sudden, a pipe protruding into the drain above his head 
started spewing out water and human faeces that poured over his body.

I began to feel dizzy just looking down into this mess.
My nostrils were filled with that obnoxious smell, a bit like of 
rotten eggs. I wanted to vomit. I felt weak and wanted to run away 
from the smell.
I was born and brought up in India and for the past 15 years I have 
lived in Delhi, the capital city of one of the world's most rapidly 
growing economies. I am a member of the growing, upwardly mobile 
middle class.
I suppose I represent the "roaring Tiger" India, but I am regularly 
shocked and surprised when I see the struggle for dignity that so 
many face here.
Literally beneath the glitter of the big city lies a vast network of 
these dark drains, where so many Rewa Rams are struggling with toxic 
gases and human waste. They suffer disease and discrimination in 
return for cleaning the city's sewage system.
Deadly job
Rewa Ram is just one of thousands of sanitation workers in India who 
work hard to keep the cities, towns and villages clean.
Most of them come from the community of lower caste Dalits as they 
are known, or untouchables.
Health experts working in the field told me most of these workers 
would die before their retirement because of the poor health and 
safety conditions they work in. Their life expectancy is thought to 
be around 10 years less than the national average.
Dr Ashish Mittal, an occupational health consultant, did a survey of 
the working conditions of sewage workers.
He told me most of the workers suffer from chronic diseases, 
respiratory problems, skin disorders and allergies. He said they are 
constantly troubled by headaches and eye infections. I am not 
surprised.
Rewa Ram was pulled out when he started feeling dizzy from the toxic 
fumes in the manhole.
They were thick with a mixture of methane and hydrogen sulphide, both 
considered potentially fatal by the health experts.
He needed water to clean himself, just a splash on his face could 
have made him feel better.
His colleagues started banging on doors of the rich neighbourhood 
where he was working. Nobody opened their gate.
Ancient sewers
Human rights activists and trade unionists I have talked to ask a 
simple question. If the government of India can spend billions on its 
space programme, if Delhi can reach all its targets for the 
beautification of the city in time for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, 
including an underground train system, then why can't the sewage 
system be modernised?
Why does it still rely on sending practically naked men down below 
the streets to clear the drains with their bare hands, being exposed 
to noxious gases which could take them to a premature grave?
I put these questions to the authorities.
The reply? "We are trying our best."
It did not really feel good enough after what I had seen.
The law courts have passed several orders banning human beings from 
going into the sewage system unless it is an emergency.
In Delhi it looks as if every day is an emergency in the sewers.
Smell of death
I asked Rewa Ram, still breathless and covered with the sewage from 
the drain: "How do you feel about having to do this work?"
With folded arms, he replied: "I am not educated, I come from a very 
poor family of untouchables. What else can I expect?
"At least I have a government job and I am able to feed my children. 
I get into this hell everyday but then this is my job.
"I live smelling death, but it is fine."
But is it fine? Why should he expect so little just because he comes 
from a lower caste and is not educated?
How can our so-called civil society be so indifferent to the millions 
like him? I, for one, am left feeling guilty.
 From Our Own Correspondent was broadcast on Saturday, 7 February, 
2009 at 1130 GMT on BBC Radio 4. Please check the programme schedules 
for World Service transmission times.
Rupa Jha's report on India's sewage cleaners can be heard on the One 
Planet programme on BBC World Service on Thursday 12 February 2009 to 
Saturday 14 February. After broadcast you can download the podcast 
from here.
If you would like to comment on this story please use the form below. 
Here is a selection of your comments so far.

Being an Indian myself who was brought up in the streets of Delhi, I 
feel equally guilty for being part of the system which cannot be 
changed to improve the lives of millions of Indians like Rewa Ram. It 
is an excellent article by Rupa Jha showing the realities of so 
called 'Modern India', a true dedication to the profession of 
journalism.
Preet Singh, United Kingdom
Rewa Ram has more dignity and integrity than those of a so called 
higher class have and his story moved me. We are all interdependent 
on each other and need to sweep away discrimination because of class 
or religion and treat each other with compassion. If not as a planet 
or species we have had it
Graham , haywards heath uk

This is just like 1st half of the movie Slumdog Millionaire. Poverty 
at its worst...We Indians have learnt to turn a blind eye to the 
plight of our fellow countrymen who are struggling everyday and 
everyone is just busy leading their own selfish lives including me. 
It's high time that educated middle class people like us make an 
effort to make the government accountable for their actions and 
decisions.
Dimple, UK
It will be a good idea for Rupa Jha to follow up on this story with 
authorities asking them for the work safety rules If they exist. If 
they do, see to what extent they are followed. Should also follow up 
with the court to see what they consider emergency and what safety 
provisions starting from clothes, boots, gloves, respirators, 
hazardous gas detectors etc are to be provided for such emergency 
work. Does his employer provide adequate insurance in case he dies 
performing his work? If he belongs to union, what are they doing to 
protect him? Do they lobby the legislators to write laws for his 
safety and if not followed hold his employers liable for his death? 
Perhaps an investigative reporting may shake up the authorities and 
something good may happen for these workers.
Bharat Shah, USA
It is a pathetic state of affairs, indeed. However, the change has to 
come from the top. For instance, in the state of Tamil Nadu, humans 
have been replaced by special machines to go down into sewers. 
Sustained pressure from the media forced the authorities to do this. 
Change takes time and such changes need to be done fast and 
everywhere.
Raju, Saudi Arabia
I really got the shock of my life after reading this. Being such a 
great nation, India surely MUST look into these issues and take the 
necessary actions immediately.
Harshula, Sri Lanka
This is a national disgrace.....
Karan Kharyal, India

Very interesting and investigative report.
Thomas Kallachil, Scotland
It is indeed a good attempt by Rupa to bring out the helplessness of 
the sewer workers. These kinds of things are often downplayed by the 
Government and people tend to forget them. This will be a harsh 
reminder for the people of India. A Chandrayaan does bring joy to the 
nation but the basics have to be set right first.
Rahul Nair, India
This man, Mr. Rewa Ram is wearing rubber gloves. I live in East 
Delhi, and I've never seen a sewage worker wearing these gloves. They 
only have their pants on when they go into the sewage. I appreciate 
articles like this, but this article doesn't even begin to describe 
what these 'people' go through. Newspapers around here often talk 
about Human Rights abuse in countries like China, but I ask myself, 
"What Human Rights are they talking about???" Words like 'appalling' 
cannot portray so many things going on here.
Anonymous Foreigner, India
Poverty in Africa is a tragedy, whereas in India it is a scandal. The 
Indian state and society have the means and wealth to remove extreme 
want, but refuse to engage with the issue. The gap between intentions 
and actions has always been a problem in this country, and it only 
seems to be getting worse.
James whewell, UK
A friend of mine pointed me to this story. We started discussing 
this, and he suggested that may be we can try raise money to give 
masks and clothing to these hard working citizens. These are some of 
the questions that came up during over conversation. Hoping that the 
author of the article and/or readers can provide some answers. 1) 
What are the number of people who do this kind of work? 2) What is 
the body that employs them? 3) Is there any local organization that 
would be interested in delivering these guys at least basic safety 
gear?
Manish, USA
Rewa Ram and millions like him, have been stripped naked by the 
centuries of apathy dealt out to them by the Hindu caste system. They 
have but existed, inspite of all odds. They do not owe anyone 
anything, yet they feel obliged. They are not inferior yet they feel 
it. A mass psychosis of this scale can only begin to hint at the 
atrocities and isolation they have had to sustain. Today modern India 
lives off them, in sewers, in construction sites, in filthy sweat 
shops, taking advantage of their 'lowly' temperaments. Its true, if 
he was not working with the government, he would have been bonded to 
a labour agent for a few grains of rice. But to his credit, everyday 
he goes deep down into the sewer risking his life, he breaks away a 
little bit from his 'destiny' and social confinement. The question I 
would ask him would be if his children go to school, only because 
only then will they surface above the drain (underground) and see the 
sky. I appreciate your piece and the analogy intended, but I wish for 
you to bridge Rewa Ram and the space programme, only then can you hit 
anything.
Gaurav Roy Choudhury, India
I totally agree with the feelings of Rupa, this gentleman and people 
like him deserves far better treatment and this case study could 
serve as an example of still persisting cast based societal bias in 
India, as it were a century ago. India is the only poor country in 
the world that spends too disproportionally for space programs and 
for a billion of its poverty stricken citizens like Rewa Ram.
Felix Bast, Japan


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