New Year’s Day - 2022
On the first day of the new year, our apartment complex faced a drainage block that connected to the city’s sewer system. Despite the pouring rain, an elderly gentleman, a sanitary worker, worked tirelessly for hours to help us out of the situation. The problem still isn’t fully resolved, but the nature of his work, his struggle, and the resilience of our apartment watchmen, who endured the stench as their station is near the leak, deeply moved me. It left me with a heart full of pain and immense gratitude.
This experience prompted me to delve deeper into the lives of these incredible people. What I discovered broke my heart. In India, it is estimated that three people die every five days due to direct contact with human waste—feces, poisonous gases—while working without any protective gear. These workers are grossly underpaid and, to make matters worse, they carry the stigma of being seen as the lowest in society.
There are initiatives to mechanize this type of cleaning work, but we still have a long way to go to eliminate the needless physical and emotional suffering of these essential members of our society.
For a detailed report on their situation, you can visit:
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