Garbage collectors of Biratnagar are forced to work under unsafe conditions as they struggle to keep themselves safe against the novel coronavirus. With little in terms of protective gear, they are under high risk of infection.
The workers are out in the field early morning every day, with only ordinary masks and surgical gloves in the name of protective gear. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), glasses, sanitizer, and surgical masks are the minimum they need in terms of safety gear.
The Biratnagar Metropolitan City has awarded Waste Management Group, a private company, the contract of collecting and disposing garbage from the city. The company deploys 220 workers to collect garbage from the houses, streets and public places across the 19 wards of the city.
“We have been trying to save ourselves from the danger with what we have been given,” says Shyam Raut, who has been working as a garbage collector for the last 15 years. “We have asked the company to give us proper gear against the coronavirus infection.”
“We work under constant fear,” says 36-year-old Raut. His colleague, 44-year-old Suresh Paswan, adds: “All we get are two pairs of gloves, an identity card, and ordinary masks. I am worried about my safety.”
“It is dangerous to pick garbage from the houses of potentially infected people. And we cannot keep distance from others when we collect and dispose off garbage,” adds Paswan.
Surya Tamang, another garbage collector says lack of protection imperils their families and their neighborhoods as well. As most workers are poorly informed on the health hazards they face, the concerned bodies should pay more attention, he adds.
Devi Acharya, chief of the contracting company, says the workers are given gloves and sanitizers as and when needed. “Some workers use them, some don’t,” he adds. “We are aware that the workers need to handle the garbage all the time. We are doing our best to protect them. But the Metropolitan City should also think about worker safety.”
The Metropolitan City, on the other hand, says it is the contractor’s responsibility to ensure worker safety. Hira Yadav, chief of its waste management department, claims the workers have been given masks right from the beginning to stave off possible infection. “Now it is up to the contractor to provide other materials. They have to see to it that the workers are safe.”
The city produces approximately 150 metric tons of garbage every day. The amount has decreased by 50 percent after the government imposed a lockdown to stop possible spread of Covid-19. Workers think it is due to the corona scare that people have limited their activities, producing less waste. Many households have told the garbage collectors to stop coming to their homes saying, “we will manage our garbage ourselves.” The house-owners may be worried that the waste management workers may be carrying the virus, the workers think.
