Sanitation workers raise concern over safety, demand screenings

A senior SDMC official said the civic body was “concerned” about its workers and all necessary steps would be taken.

With Nizamuddin and Dilshad Garden emerging as the Covid-19 hot spots in Delhi, and more quarantine facilities being developed across the city, sanitation workers have raised concerns about their safety.

Delhi Government public health department workers in PPE suits disinfect local resident's residence during a sanitization drive amid concerns of infection, on day 9 of the 21 day nationwide lockdown to check the spread of coronavirus, at Nizamuddin. (Biplov Bhuyan/HT PHOTO)

The Akhil Bhartiya Safai Majdoor Sangh, an association of sanitation workers, has demanded they be provided more effective protective gear, along with regular screenings of sanitation workers and their families.

On Thursday, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) said it will start screening staff deployed in Nizamuddin, home to the Tablighi Jammat’s headquarters. As many as 182 who had attended an event in the Muslim missionary organisations headquarters or visited the markaz, have tested positive in Delhi.

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With close around 40-50 sanitation workers deployed in Nizamuddin and a similar number in Dilshad Garden, Sanjay Gehlot, president Akhil Bhartiya Safai Majdoor Sangh, said sanitation employees work at the forefront and, as a result, are prone to be infected with the highly contagious virus.

“The civic bodies should check the roster and identify those who have worked in hot spot zones. Such employees and their families should immediately be screened for the coronavirus to prevent it spreading. Though no symptoms of coronavirus have been seen in sanitation employees or other ground staff working in hot spots, we should not wait for a disaster to take preventive measures,” Gehlot said.

A senior SDMC official said the civic body was “concerned” about its workers and all necessary steps would be taken.

“So far, no symptoms of Covid-19 have been observed in sanitation workers. We will screen these workers in two or three days,” the official said.

With the markaz evacuated, the SDMC on Thursday started an extensive drive to sanitise neighbouring areas. It used drones to spray disinfectants (sodium hypochlorite solution) in Nizamuddin East, Nizamuddin Basti and surrounding areas. The drones conducted 18 rounds, of 20 minutes each, of disinfecting operations, an official said.

Apart from this, 40 teams of public health workers deployed for cleaning and sprinkling disinfectants to sanitise the whole area. Nearly 10,000 litre disinfectant was used in the drive on Thursday.

With the Delhi government setting up more quarantine facilities in the city to cater to the increasing number of suspected and confirmed cases, the three civic agencies are deploying their staff at these centres.

But sanitation workers said they are not being provided proper protective gear. Gehlot said everyday 25 sanitation employees are sent to work in quarantine facility developed at Mandoli Jail Complex in Nand Nagri but many of them were discharging their duties in the absence of personal protective equipments (PPE).

“In the name of protective gears the sanitation employees have been given substandard quality of masks and gloves and many of the worker lack even these materials. I have convened several meetings with the authorities of the three municipalities but to no avail,” he said.

There are around 71,345 sanitation workers engaged with three municipal corporations — North Delhi Municipal Corporation, EDMC and SDMC. North Delhi Municipal Corporation has 31,332 sanitation workers, EDMC has 15,023 sanitation employees while there are 25,00 sanitation employees working with the SDMC.

Lokesh Kumar, a sanitation employee working in Dilshad Garden hotspot area, which comes under East Delhi Municipal Corporation, said that the authorities have not yet provided him with PPE kit.

“In the name of protective gears we have been given low quality masks and gloves. These masks become useless only after two hours of work. So I is like working without any protection amid the pandemic,” Kumar said.

The EDMC spokesperson said that as per standard guidelines testing for COVID-19 would be done only when the symptoms are seen in any person. “None of our sanitation staff has shown symptoms so till now there is no need to conduct COVID-19 tests. Forceful screening for COVID-19 will only create extra burden on already scarce system,” he said. The official added that PPE kits were primarily meant for the doctors, paramedic staff other workers engaged in hospitals treating COVID- 19. The sanitation staff has already been provided with essential items such as gloves and masks along with special training to perform their duties in affected areas without getting infected.