Lens with a heart
Uncounted death and misery
–By Sudharak Olwe*
This is a case of two men, one who died (Kirpal Valmik) and the other who survived (Santosh Valmik), in a septic tank accident which injured four others in 1992 – a time when the work carried out by manual scavengers was not even recognised as a punishable offence. Only a year later, in 1993, The Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act was framed which punished the employment of manual scavengers and construction of dry latrines. This meant that they were neither entitled to any compensation nor was their employment recognised as an offence.
Santosh and his five colleagues were pulled out of the 13-ft septic tank filled with sewage with an iron equipment on that fateful day of 10th July 1992 when they all almost drowned and were badly injured. “I remember the day well enough,” says Santosh shakily as he recalled the incident. “We were told by the owner of the tank that it’s 6-feet deep. However, as we entered, I realised that it had much more depth because of my height which is 6.2 ft. We usually drink before we take a plunge into such tanks in order to help us cope with the smell. However, as we dived in further, we began drowning. Later, we were all rescued from the tank and admitted to the city hospital where we regained our consciousness only after 5-6 days. Kirpal died, while we survived. This incident caused a permanent damage in my eyes and gave me a chronic infection,” he says.
Neither was a FIR registered nor were their statements officially taken as it was “considered” that the workers went by themselves to clean the tank and no one was called. Santosh still works with the corporation as a regular Safai Karmachari, so does his wife and two sons. He wears a jacket to his job to protect him from the cold which has ‘Being Human’ printed on it, ironically enough for the inhuman treatment this job gives him, and the huge price which he has paid for it. “I have developed this chronic infection since Diwali and am unwell since last few days,” Santosh said showing us his hands which seemed gnarled, tanned and almost blue like a blood clot.
Kirpal Valmik’s 55-year-old widow Mamta quietly swept the ground of the Amanganj bus stand with no gloves or shoes in the thick of winter with the cold biting into her already paining hands and toes. Notwithstanding the weather, Mamta cycles her way to work from Hinauti village and reaches Amanganj bus stand by 5 am in the morning. She mostly cleans the roads, bus stand ground and alleys.
Also see: Photo Essay: Including the Excluded – Part 1
Her composed face barely revealing the amount of poverty and pain she has lived through. Working in two shifts — 5am to 10am and 2pm to 5pm — she now makes Rs 17,000 a month. Mamta became a permanent employee of the municipal corporation after she lost her husband about 27 years ago.
Mamta has single-handedly raised her children and married her two daughters in recent years. Her son, Surendra too works with the corporation as a sweeper. When asked if they received any compensation at all for the death, Mamta says with an eerie poker face but pain in her voice, “We received nothing. I had to struggle my whole life to bring up my children. We are used to this struggle now, one day at a time.” They say change is the only constant, but it not be the same for manual scavengers. For them, it’s the routine life of discrimination, poverty and survival which kills them slowly, one day at a time.
*Sudharak Olwe is an Indian Social Documentary Photographer. In 2016, he was conferred the Padma Shri, India’s 4th Highest Civilian Award by the President of India, in recognition of his valuable and tireless work.
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