Borivali manhole death: Didn’t get complaints about sewage choke-ups, says BMC

Victim Sunil Wakode’s father during the last rites in Dahisar. Pic/Satej Shinde; Wakode’s sister Shila Gavai; Sunil Wakode, the labourer who died

The police have booked a hotelier in connection with the death of a sanitation worker in Borivli West. The worker lost his life while cleaning a 20-foot-deep sewage line.

On Friday afternoon, the road in front of Gokhale School at Shimpoli was as bustling as usual, with no visible sign of the tragedy that had occurred less than 24 hours earlier. A nearby vendor, who witnessed the incident, recounted that one of the two sanitation workers lost his life while cleaning a chamber in front of Gupta Chana Bhandar, adjacent to the popular K Bhagat Tarachand Hotel.

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"The incident happened around 3.30 pm on Thursday and the fire brigade arrived within 15 to 20 minutes. We heard that the workers were called by the Tarachand Hotel. The chamber is really deep, and the MFB pulled out the body after some time. This is the first such incident in this area," the vendor said.

At the Kandarpada Hindu crematorium, over 50 people gathered for the last rites of Wakode. His cousin, Ravindra Bhotkar, who was with him during the tragic incident, was also present at the crematorium.

Bhotkar said, "We received a call on Thursday afternoon from Tarachand Hotel on Shimpoli Road to clean four sewage manholes. Initially, we asked them to pay Rs 2500, but after negotiation, we agreed for R2000. We went there at around 3 pm and cleaned three chambers inside the compound and the fourth one was on the road. We opened the chamber. Sunil went inside while I was diverting the traffic before entering it. But before I could do anything he slipped inside. I got inside, but couldn't find him. Then someone called the fire brigade." He added that they both were not equipped with any safety gear and no one gave them or instructed them to wear it.

Shila Gavai, a sister of Sunil Wakode, told mid-day that he was with the BMC as a contractual labourer and worked between 6 am to 2 pm. He took such odd jobs to make ends meet. "He has been doing such work for the last 15 years and we are in shock after the last incident. They haven't been provided any safety gear and asked to go inside the deep chambers," she said.

Sidharth Wakode, father of the deceased said, no one takes care of the safety of sanitation workers. "He was so young. Now how can his family - wife and two sons - Sangharsh and Yash - survive without his support?"

The sewage line which is around 15 feet deep is under the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). "We didn't receive any complaints about sewage choke-ups. The workers were called by the hotel and they opened up the chamber without intimating the BMC. We received the information after one of two workers was trapped inside. The BMC employees went to Borivali Police Station to file a complaint but the Police said they are already processing it and there cannot be two FIRs in one case," said Sandhya Nandedkar, BMC Assistant Commissioner and Ward Officer of R Ward.

An official from Borivali Police Station informed mid-day on Friday afternoon that they are in the process of filing a report against the manager of K Bhagat Tarachand Hotel. "The hotel manager asked the workers to clean the sewage chambers. The person accompanying Sunil Wakode told us that while they were accustomed to cleaning sewage lines, they might not have realised how deep this one was. BMC employees came to file a complaint, but we informed them that the process was already underway as his relatives had already reached out to us," the official stated.

Dr Ajay Gupta, superintendent of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Hospital in Kandivli, mentioned that the deceased worker was initially admitted as an unidentified patient. "His relatives arrived at the hospital later. The post-mortem was conducted on Friday, and we are awaiting the report," he added.

When the mid-day team visited K Bhagat Tarachand Hotel, they found the business operating as usual, with many customers waiting in line. The owner declined to comment on the incident.

3.30pm
Time of the incident on August 8

Not the first time

Manual scavenging, banned under the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013, remains a recurring issue in Mumbai and nearby areas, despite the risk of severe penalties under Section 8 of the Act.

April 23, 2024 50-year-old worker Raghu Solanki died after entering a sewer line without safety gear at Raheja Towers, Malad (West). Two others, Javed Mendi Hasan Shaikh and a man who tried to save his teenage brother, also died.

April 9, 2024 four sanitation workers in Virar City - Shubham Parkar, 28, Amol Ghatale, 27, Nikhil Ghatale, 24, and Sagar Tendulkar, 29 - died from toxic gas inhalation while working in a sewage treatment plant without safety gear.

March 22, 2024 Ramlagan Kevat and his sons Suraj and Vikas died after falling into a septic tank at Malwani, Malad (West).