Sewer cleaning work turns tragic in Mumbai as one worker dies and another gets hurt

A 47-year-old worker died and another person was hurt after they entered a municipal sewer chamber in Mumbai on Monday morning. The incident happened at around 11 a.m. near Bhavya Niketan society on 8th Golibar Road in Santacruz East, directly opposite V.N. Desai Hospital.

How It Happened

The secretary of the housing society had hired a retired civic official named Jadhav to clear a blocked sewage line. Mr. Jadhav then hired the two workers for the job. The workers did not receive any protective gear for the cleaning work. According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, the housing society used private workers rather than civic employees. Someone opened a municipal sewer manhole on the road without telling BMC staff, and the two workers went inside the chamber.

Rescue And Hospital

The Mumbai Fire Brigade rushed to the spot alongside the police and a 108 ambulance to rescue both men. Officials took them to V.N. Desai Hospital. Doctors declared the 47-year-old worker, Santosh Ganpat Kashte, brought dead upon arrival. The other worker, 26-year-old Ajay Dhyanchand Thakur, was admitted to the Medical Intensive Care Unit for treatment. Vakola Police Station Senior Inspector Navnath Ghuge stated that police are waiting for the post-mortem report before they formally register an FIR.

Context

Manual scavenging and entering sewer lines without proper safety equipment remain severe safety issues across Indian cities despite strict laws banning the practice. Housing societies and private contractors often bypass official safety rules to cut costs during drainage maintenance work. Authorities generally investigate such incidents to fix criminal responsibility on contractors, supervisors, or society office-bearers who fail to provide safety gear.