Two wage laborers died of asphyxiation in Hyderabad while cleaning a manhole. The incident occurred inside a recently laid water supply pipeline near Uppal Cricket Stadium.
The two men originally from Odisha were identified as Vijay and Santosh who were daily wage laborers. The men migrated to Hyderabad for work and were living in Chikangar.
Hiring manual laborers to clean manholes is considered illegal in India. The investigating officer Sub Inspector Krishna said the two were hired to remove debris but who hired them is yet to be known.
Mr. Krishna explained the poisonous gases inside the narrow chamber suffocated and killed the workers. He further added that the bodies were sent for a post mortem to the Gandhi Hospital.
The Officer said a case has not yet been registered and will be done once all the details are gathered.
The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) noted the incident and started a probe. The HMWSSB MD Dana Kishore said Rs. 10 lakhs as compensation would be given to the victims’ families.
A study released last year by the Basthi Vikas Manch shows that nearly 10,000 people in Hyderabad clean manholes manually.
