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Swach sanitation workers in Pune handle waste without gloves, footwear
Drinking waste and a place to sit are also issues for the workers here
Sanitation workers employed by Swach, non-profit organisation which works in the field of garbage lifting and segregation, working at the Balewadi sorting shed, lack basic facilities.
Established two years ago, the garbage sorting shed located on the service road in Balewadi caters to operations in Baner and Balewadi areas.
A total of 35 women working at the shed and they do not have durable gloves, footwear, clean sitting area and drinking water facility.
Saku Lokhande who has been working with Swach for the past five years said that she never faced any hardships until she began working at the Balewadi sorting shed.
“Earlier, I used to pick up garbage from Baner. Now, we have been assigned to work at the sorting shed. The residents here are aware of waste segregation and follow it too, but sometimes few residents carelessly mix dry and wet waste and it takes us time to sort the garbage,” said Saku.
Saku was found working without gloves and footwear. “Swach gave us two pairs of gloves but they don’t last long. There is lot of wet garbage here and we are afraid of slipping while walking on it with slippers,” she said.
Another sanitary worker, Anita Adgale was seen with her small child who was playing in the garbage. “The school holidays have begun and there is no place to keep him. My in-laws as well as my husband work in garbage collection, so I have to bring him with me,” she said.
The women also complained of long working hours without any toilet within the shed.
“We are here from 8 am to 6 pm and when we have to relieve ourselves, we are at the mercy of finding an open pace. Also, there is no provision for water. We don’t have a covering over the shed to protect us from sun and rain,” said Ratan Jadhav, a waste picker.
Sayaji Waghmare who looks over the daily workings of the group said, “We have been working with broken buckets and the garbage keeps falling on the ground again. The collection van does not come daily and this adds to the increasing pile of garbage.”
The workers said that no attention is being paid to the garbage spilling out on the road.
When questioned about the situation at the Balewadi sorting ground, Aparna Susarla, director, SWaCH said that they have not received any equipment for the last one and half years. The waste pickers need uniform, hand gloves and buckets, which is our main concern. “ We have allocated only one pushcart yes and so some sanitation workers use sacks to collect garbage. Non-availability of buckets is also a major issue. The Pune Municipal Corporation has promised to provide the things needed but only after May,” said Susarla.
Susarla revealed that a total of 300 sorting sheds are required for the city, where as there is only 68.
“PMC is suppose to build sheds along with toilets , but since they have not done it, we are trying acquire funds to build toilets for the sanitation workers. Apart from funds, drainage and water connection is also important. We are waiting for Pune municipal corporation to allocate more space and build sheds. This will enhance the recycling and reduce the waste going to the landfill,” she added.
