Perilous working environment has always left sanitation workers across Bengaluru with a fear of contracting ailments. But it will change for good soon.
In a bid to allay the workers’ fears, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) is coming up with service stations, equipped with advanced facilities, at a cost of Rs 10 lakh each. The service stations will have facilities like hot water, disinfectants and ample space to rest, giving the much-needed relief for the workers.
BWSSB has floated tenders to construct 12 restrooms across the city. The Board’s action has brought cheers to the sanitary workers, who, at places, are exposed to unhygienic conditions and face the risk of contracting diseases.
“We often come in contact with faecal materials and are exposed to extremely unhygienic conditions. We are more prone to skin infection and other respiratory disorders. But with the resting quarters at service stations providing hot water round-the-clock and disinfectants we can keep ourselves after the work,” said a sanitary worker from Peenya.
C Ganagadri, president of BWSSB Sanitary Workers’ Union, said, “We had requested the BWSSB to construct restrooms long back so that the workers can clean themselves immediately after the
work.”
“The board is coming up with the restrooms and wherever they have built, they have been maintained well. The hot water with toiletries provided in the restroom help us cleaning ourselves and also wash our clothes soon after the work,” he added.
The sanitary workers’ union has requested the Board to provide a service station each in all the 198 wards in phases. The city with a population of close to one crore has only 152 permanent sanitary workers.