Worst. Job. Ever.
A sewer cleaner in the city of Dhaka is lowered into the pipes to clear a blockage. Photo Credit: Zakir Chowdhury/Barcroft Images
Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, is the most populated city in the world, with approximately 15 million people living here. Bangladesh itself is considered the most densely populated country. So, with this many people living in such a large city, it would be appropriate to think that Dhaka would have the infrastructure to deal with a service necessary for people — the disposal of sewage. Today however, Dhaka’s citizens constantly face the challenge of clogged up sewers. Yet, that isn’t the worst of their worries. When monsoon season sets in, the city is in deep trouble. Due to the clogged up sewers, rainwater from the storm has nowhere to go — and the city ends up flooded in sewage. This recurring disaster has yet to be permanently solved. Instead, cleaners are sent into the sewers to try and remove whatever may be clogging the pipes. The people who have to unclog the drains are considered the “untouchables” of society. During the country’s war of independence from Pakistan, Hindus were persecuted by Muslims, and today, are still oppressed in society. Because of this, many Hindus are forced to work the jobs of the untouchables — mainly cleaning Dhaka’s sewer systems.
The untouchables have what is considered “the world’s worst job”. Dealing with human waste is already unpleasant, but the conditions these workers face is inhumane. There are no uniforms provided to them — they just head into the sewers as if they were going swimming. This leaves them prone to skin conditions and other health problems. Furthermore, little to no training is provided on how to properly unclog pipes. This results in many fatalities on the job. 2008 saw the worst incident, when 7 new cleaners were sent to unclog a drain. The improper training resulted in the deaths of 4 of them when sewer waters swept over them. The poor treatment of the cleaners clearly demonstrates the idea that the government views them as inhumane people.
In Animal’s People, by Indra Sinhap, we see what life is like for 17 year old Animal in the town of Khaufpur. The town was devastated by a chemical accident almost 20 years ago and today, many people live with deformities. Animal is one of these victims. His spine became twisted due to the hazardous chemicals, and so he can only walk on all fours. The people of Khaufpur want the company to be held responsible for their actions, but cannot do so without the help of the government. Yet, when they try and get the government to help, they find that their leaders have been corrupted by the company’s money and are useless in their pursuit for justice. The company is too powerful, as expressed with Animal saying, “The people go on suffering, the kampani does what it wants and no one can say anything to it,” (Sinhap 137).
When inspecting how the local government in Dhaka is set up, there is no doubt that they struggle to provide basic infrastructure to their people. There are “seven different governing departments” and “two separate mayors” in the city, so it is hard to get anything done without opposition from another department. Their inept ability to get anything done properly is similar to how the leaders of Khaufpur dealt with the company. At a protest rally, the people blatantly tell the chief minister what they think of his performance, saying, “Yes, of what use are your promises?” and, “Was it three or four years ago when you promised us clean water? What do you make from the pollution board, 50 lakhs a month is it?” (Sinhap 268). It is evident that the people do not trust the government, and believe their leaders are highly susceptible to corruption and bribes from the company. This is further highlighted by their boycott against Dr. Elli’s clinic. They thought she was sent from the company, and the government had approved that, so no one showed up for treatment even though many people could use it. Although Dhaka struggles with an unorganized government and Khaufpur has to deal with corruption, both their governments fail to properly care for their citizens.
Life in Dhaka can be easily compared to life in Khaufpur. News articles, such as the Guardian, describe Dhaka as the “least livable city” and “to live in Dhaka is to suffer”. A huge portion of the population, approximately 40%, live in slums. Health conditions are horrid, and some of that is caused by the poor sewage problem. Similarly, life in Khaufpur is the least bit pleasant. With the effects from the disaster still lingering, many people in the town have been impacted. Animal says “there is still sickness all over Khaufpur, hundreds come daily to Elli doctress’s clinic,” (Sinhap 365). In both Dhaka and Khaufpur, many people are forced to live in poor conditions because the government is unwilling to help fix the issues that plague their society. In Dhaka, working together to come up with a more modernized plan to deal with wastewater could easily rid the city of many diseases. Even better training and equipment could help cleaners get their job done safer and without the risk of spreading diseases. In Khaufpur, it would be ideal if the company would be held responsible for the damage and work with the government to help clean up the town. Until then, the government should work to gain the trust of its people, and promote resources like health clinics that can help save some lives hurt by the company.
The failure to build a good infrastructure system that could keep up with the growing population in Dhaka has led to recurring sewage problems. Due to the government’s inability to work together, the untouchables continue to have to work in horrid conditions. People across the city are affected by the government’s lack of intervention when diseases spread and flooding occurs. Similarly, the people of Khaufpur have still not gotten the treatment they need 20 years after the disaster, mainly due to a lack of proper government intervention. It is important for people like Animal and Zafar to continue to fight for what the people need. No one deserves to live in the horrid conditions seen in Dhaka and Khaufpur, and local leaders should work harder to improve the standard of living for all their citizens.
Works Cited:
McPherson, Poppy. “The Dysfunctional Megacity: Why Dhaka Is Bursting at the Sewers.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 21 Mar. 2018.
Pulitzercenter. “Dhaka’s Challenge: A Megacity Struggles with Water, Sanitation and Hygiene.” Pulitzer Center, 11 Jan. 2017.
Sinha, Indra. Animal’s People. Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2009.
