Two suffocate to death while cleaning septic tank without safety gear in Gurugram

Two men suffocated to death after they were allegedly made to clean a septic tank without any protective gear at a house in village Mohammadpur Jharsa in Sector 36 on Sunday evening, police said on Monday, adding that no arrest has been made as yet as the owner of the house is on the run

Two men suffocated to death after they were allegedly made to clean a septic tank without any protective gear at a house in village Mohammadpur Jharsa in Sector 36 on Sunday evening, police said on Monday, adding that no arrest has been made as yet as the owner of the house is on the run.

Two suffocate to death while cleaning septic tank without safety gear in Gurugram

The deceased were identified as Dilip Kumar (45), who hailed from Agra in Uttar Pradesh, and Mohammad Shahabuddin (29) who hailed from Bihar. Kumar lived with his family at Narsinghpur village and was a sanitation worker while Shahabuddin lived in Mohammadpur Jharsa village and was a tailor by profession, said police.

The house owner Bhim Singh was booked under section 304A (causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code at the Sector 37 police station on Monday, said police.

Sorav Kumar, Dilip’s son, alleged that his father was home when Singh came and called him to clean his septic tank. “My father and Shahabuddin, a tailor, went to Singh’s house but they did not know that they would have to clean it right away. They were just going to inspect the tank and start the work on Monday. We were shocked to hear that both fell unconscious inside the pit after inhaling the toxic fumes,” he said.

Police said the bodies were fished out with the help of firefighters and police. Both were taken to a private hospital where doctors declared them brought dead, said police.

Officers at the Sector 37 police station said a fire brigade and ambulances were called soon after the men fell unconscious inside the tank, but it took at least three hours to fish them out.

Sunita Devi, station house officer of Sector 37 police station, said they received information around 5pm following which teams were sent to the spot and the fire station was alerted. “Rescue teams equipped with safety gear got into the pit and found both bodies,” she said.

The bodies were handed over to the families after autopsy on Monday, said police.

The district administration and Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) in September this year banned the manual cleaning of sewer and septic tanks but instances of manual cleaning sans safety gear abound, said police.

Nishant Kumar Yadav, deputy commissioner, said unsafe cleaning of sewer lines and septic tanks is a punishable offence under the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013, which carries a heavy monetary penalty and imprisonment.

“Our civil defence team was present at the spot and have shared videos of the incident. An enquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of death. . Strick action will be taken against the person found responsible for the deaths. Also, we will again issue the advisory so that public is aware of the law,” he said.

The MCG on September 12 warned that “unsafe cleaning of septic tanks and sewer lines will lead to imprisonment of at least two years or ₹2 lakh fine, or both”, reads an official public advisory issued by the civic body.

At least 28 people have died in Gurugram between 2017 and 2022, while cleaning septic tanks and sewer lines in an unsafe manner.

A senior MCG official said under the Act, cleaning of sewer lines and septic tanks under MCG limits cannot be done manually. “For the first contravention, a fine of ₹2 lakh or imprisonment for at least two years, or both, is imposed, while a second violation can lead to a fine of ₹5 lakh or imprisonment for five years, or both,” he said.

According to health experts, gases that emanate from sewers include hydrogen sulphide, ammonia, methane, carbon monoxide and sulphur dioxide. These gases are extremely dangerous to health and can result in death.

Earlier on October 5, four sanitation workers allegedly died after inhaling toxic gases while cleaning an underground sewer without any safety gear on the premises of a private hospital in Faridabad.

On October 6, the National Human Rights Commission issued a notice to Haryana government, taking suo motu cognizance of a media report about the incident.