Photos: On the road with a sanitation worker disinfecting the capital
Updated On Apr 24, 2020 12:32 PM IST
Sanitation worker Dev Dutt Sharma, one of more than 3,500 workers usually tasked with combating malaria for the South Delhi Municipal Corporation, puts on an orange jacket before bidding goodbye to his family each morning. Kitted in protective gear and a container of disinfectant on his back, his days these past weeks involve venturing out to disinfect some of Delhi's most at risk areas in the fight against the coronavirus.
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Updated on Apr 24, 2020 12:32 PM IST
Dev Dutt Sharma, a sanitation worker, is helped with his tank of disinfectant by a colleague before a sanitization drive during the nationwide lockdown, in New Delhi on April 21. “I do feel afraid, because I have a family,” the 38-year-old told Reuters of heading into Covid-19 hotspots. “But then I think that, along with my own family, I will also save other families,” he added. (Anushree Fadnavis / REUTERS)
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Updated on Apr 24, 2020 12:32 PM IST
Dev Dutt Sharma, holds a plate with biscuits as his wife offers him tea before he leaves for work. Tea, his orange high-visibility jacket in tow and quick goodbyes to his two sons, wife, and elderly mother make up Sharma’s daily routine before heading out to government offices in South Delhi where his day begins. (Anushree Fadnavis / REUTERS)
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Updated on Apr 24, 2020 12:32 PM IST
Dev Dutt Sharma rides a bike on his way to work. He is one of more than 3,500 workers usually tasked with combating malaria for the South Delhi Municipal Corporation. These days he’s fighting a bigger public health enemy. (Anushree Fadnavis / REUTERS)
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Updated on Apr 24, 2020 12:32 PM IST
Sharma disinfects a guard’s checkpost in a residential colony. The efforts of sanitation workers like Sharma boost sanitation and strengthen awareness of government actions. But they also place themselves at risk of exposure as they venture into designated containment zones. (Anushree Fadnavis / REUTERS)
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Dev Dutt Sharma, a sanitation worker, looks on as he waits while on his way to disinfect a street in a colony. To help rein in the virus during the current lockdown, Sharma disinfects as many as 80 homes a day. But when the work ends, anxiety returns to haunt him. (Anushree Fadnavis / REUTERS)
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A disinfectant dispenser tank used by Dev Dutt Sharma, is pictured next to his bike, on a street. “When I come back home, I also feel, ‘What if this virus is inside me and might get transmitted to my children’,” he said. “But we are helpless, we have to perform our duty.” (Anushree Fadnavis / REUTERS)
