Stop manual sewer cleaning: Karnataka high court

The high court on Wednesday directed the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) to float global tenders to purchase more jetting machines to ensure that manual cleaning of the sewerage system was completely abolished in the city.

The court issued the order after BWSSB submitted that it already had 76 jetting machines in its possession and had to acquire 48 more to completely eliminate manual labour in cleaning sewers.

The court was hearing a petition filed by the People’s Union of Civil Liberties on the working condition of sanitary workers employed by various civic agencies in Bangalore.

The petition had demanded that a high-level team be constituted to look into the working conditions of sanitary workers.

Advocate-general Ashok Haranahalli submitted that the process additional jetting machines would be provided to BWSSB within six months.

The Karnataka Legal Services Authority, meanwhile, filed a report in the high court on various welfare measures to ameliorate the condition of sanitary workers.

The report stated that BBMP and BWSSB had taken up plans costing ¤46.27 crore and ¤176.75 crore, respectively, to replace the existing sewerage system.