Page 87 - HUDCO BEST PRACTICE AWARDS

SAy “no” to MAnuAL ScAVEnging in SEWEr oPErAtionS by
use of Mini Sewer jetting Vehicles – A Swachh Bharat initiative by Hyderabad

Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board

In spite of the presence of law against manual scavenging in sewer operation, the trend continues in most of the cities in India including Hyderabad. In this regard Hyderabad Metropolitan
Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) took the initiative by adopting the suction cum jetting technology for cleaning of sewers. But the presence of non-maneuverable narrow
lanes, especially in the old city area, prevented using this technology as a replacement for manual scavenging in sewer operation. This in turn forced the Authority to think on technological
intervention, thus resulting in Mini Sewer Jetting Vehicles. In addition, a mobile application designed by integrating the complaints module, helps to attend the complaints in a speedy manner
and provides the driver in- charge an easy access to the site. Integration with the various Government schemes has enabled people from Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe background to
purchase Mini Sewer Jetting Vehicles and provide them to HMWSSB on hire basis, which in turn has helped them to improve their socio-economic status. All these have made the entire city
of Hyderabad free from manual entry for sewer cleaning and maintenance.
Introduction Manual scavenging has been prevalent for centuries, as a systematic part of the society.

xperiencing multiple-fold population growth in the last three decades, Hyderabad can Last few decades have observed announcement of acts and laws in India to remove
Ebe called as one of the fastest growing metropolitans in India. Exponential growth has manual scavenging in various forms. Manual scavenging had led to death and health
made its crowded streets extremely congested. Several parts of Hyderabad, especially issues amongst manual scavengers. With a vision to develop and demonstrate a
the old city, have narrow streets and lanes. Structures on either side of these narrow successful model to remove manual scavenging in sewerage cleaning operations,
lanes have transformed over years to taller buildings, resulting in increased pressure HMWSSB took up a few initiatives. To treat the problem of overflow mechanically, a few
on physical infrastructure, Spread over an area of 169 sq. km, Municipal Corporation of
Hyderabad (MCH) with 172.65 Km. trunk sewer lines and 6083 km of lateral sewer lines, years ago, investment in suction cum jetting technology (Sewer cleaning Vehicles) was
serve a population size of about 45 lakhs, in which 625 sewerage workers of Hyderabad made. While these machines were effective in cleaning trunk sewers, outfall sewers etc.,
Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) are engaged and are exposed they could not make their way to narrow lanes. Though the technology was effective, it did
to manual sewerage operations. This has resulted in loss of dignity of the sewerage workers not eliminate manual scavenging and the overflow of sewers in crowded/narrow lanes. A
and the health and life of these workers were also at greater risk. technological modification was needed to solve this dual problem. As the sewer cleaning
Background machines provided effective results, HMWSSB team worked again with the technology

yderabad is served by the sewerage system that consists of sewer lines of different supplier to develop sewerage cleaning machines, which could penetrate into the narrow
Hdiameter ranging from trunk lines being more than 600 mm in diameter to laterals lanes and crowded areas, to replace manual means of cleaning like rodding, pulling by
being 200 to 500mm in diameter. The sewerage from congested narrow lanes in the city, ropes, bucketing, usage of long spades etc.
serving the residential and commercial areas, is usually collected through smaller diameter
of 150 to 300 mm sewer lines. Not all the drains in the city are closed drains and hence get
clogged due to the solid waste being dumped by residents/commercial establishments
etc., resulting in overflow of drains. Providing good service was difficult by applying manual
scavenging to clean sewers as well as it was an unhealthy practice where 625 sewerage
workers of HMWSSB were directly impacted.

Telecast on electronic media
Source: The Hindu, New Delhi,
July 10, 2019, 01:21 IST, E-Publication URL: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/88-
manual-scavenging-deaths-in-3-years/article28336989.ece Manual scavenging
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