Waste segregation has created problems not just in households but also for pourakarmikas, who play a crucial part in the process. The garbage collectors' grouse is that they haven't been given safety gears, such as gloves or facial masks, to protect themselves from the stench or from contracting diseases.
![Pourakarmikas segregating garbage without any safety gear is a common sight in the City. DH Photo by Shivakumar B H]( "Pourakarmikas segregating garbage without any safety gear is a common sight in the City. DH Photo by Shivakumar B H")
Metrolife spoke to BBMP officials and interacted with pourakarmikas to understand why these workers are not wearing safety gears when collecting and segregating garbage.
The pourakarmikas say that they have to dirty their hands and remain in the muck from six in the morning till late evening but there's nothing to protect them. The BBMP officials say that safety gears are supposed to be provided by the contractors. K R Niranjan, special commissioner of the BBMP, says, "The contract for garbage collection and segregation has been given to contractors. It is clearly stated in the contract that safety gears such as gloves, gum boots and facial masks must be provided to pourakarmikas. But looks like none of that has been implemented. We are calling for fresh tenders and will see to it that this is enforced."
According to a senior health officer with the BBMP, who is also in charge of the welfare of pourakarmikas, says that out of the existing pourakarmika workforce, only 20 to 25 per cent come under the purview of the BBMP. "The rest of them are hired under contract basis. There about 1,600 to 1,800 pourakarmikas in the City. And the pourakarmika strength in each area depends on the number of households in that area and the length of the road," he observes.
He says that there are also pushcarts and auto tippers provided in each ward in the City for garbage collection, "There are 150 to 200 pushcarts and about 1,000 auto tippers. Each push cart and auto tipper is manned by a driver and a pourakarmika. There are also mechanised compactor lorries that collect garbage and dump it at a common point for further segregation," he informs.
The pourakarmikas, who have a list of complaints, say that they are treated in the worst manner possible. They confess that they have not only contracted various skin diseases but have suffered bouts of dengue. Still, the authorities don't seem to be bothered about the health risks involved, they complain.
Nagamma, who works on a shift basis from six in the morning in Koramangala, says, "We are not given any protective gears. We end up working after our shift hours also but don't get paid anything extra for that."
Mudhiyamma avers, "Thanks to overexposure to garbage, my children and I were affected with dengue. But I have had to return to the same filth and work without any protective gear."
Lalithamma can't contain her emotion when she says, "The stench is unbearable and we have to inhale it for more than eight hours a day. I tie my mouth with a handkerchief and wrap my head with a scarf just to keep away the stench."
Now that garbage segregation has become a rule, ordinary people feel that the BBMP must do something to alleviate the misery of the pourakarmikas.
Sneha Sunder, a homemaker, says, "When segregation at home is a such a challenge, I can imagine how difficult it is for pourakarmikas to segregate the muck with bare hands. I have not seen any of them wearing safety gears."
Metrolife spoke to BBMP officials and interacted with pourakarmikas to understand why these workers are not wearing safety gears when collecting and segregating garbage. The pourakarmikas say that they have to dirty their hands and remain in the muck from six in the morning till late evening but there's nothing to protect them. The BBMP officials say that safety gears are supposed to be provided by the contractors. K R Niranjan, special commissioner of the BBMP, says, "The contract for garbage collection and segregation has been given to contractors. It is clearly stated in the contract that safety gears such as gloves, gum boots and facial masks must be provided to pourakarmikas. But looks like none of that has been implemented. We are calling for fresh tenders and will see to it that this is enforced."
According to a senior health officer with the BBMP, who is also in charge of the welfare of pourakarmikas, says that out of the existing pourakarmika workforce, only 20 to 25 per cent come under the purview of the BBMP. "The rest of them are hired under contract basis. There about 1,600 to 1,800 pourakarmikas in the City. And the pourakarmika strength in each area depends on the number of households in that area and the length of the road," he observes.
He says that there are also pushcarts and auto tippers provided in each ward in the City for garbage collection, "There are 150 to 200 pushcarts and about 1,000 auto tippers. Each push cart and auto tipper is manned by a driver and a pourakarmika. There are also mechanised compactor lorries that collect garbage and dump it at a common point for further segregation," he informs.
The pourakarmikas, who have a list of complaints, say that they are treated in the worst manner possible. They confess that they have not only contracted various skin diseases but have suffered bouts of dengue. Still, the authorities don't seem to be bothered about the health risks involved, they complain.
Nagamma, who works on a shift basis from six in the morning in Koramangala, says, "We are not given any protective gears. We end up working after our shift hours also but don't get paid anything extra for that."
Mudhiyamma avers, "Thanks to overexposure to garbage, my children and I were affected with dengue. But I have had to return to the same filth and work without any protective gear."
Lalithamma can't contain her emotion when she says, "The stench is unbearable and we have to inhale it for more than eight hours a day. I tie my mouth with a handkerchief and wrap my head with a scarf just to keep away the stench."
Now that garbage segregation has become a rule, ordinary people feel that the BBMP must do something to alleviate the misery of the pourakarmikas.
Sneha Sunder, a homemaker, says, "When segregation at home is a such a challenge, I can imagine how difficult it is for pourakarmikas to segregate the muck with bare hands. I have not seen any of them wearing safety gears."