Toxic gases in tank claim 4 lives ‘Workers have to wear masks while cleaning such pits’
VASANT KUNJ Five men went down to clean water harvesting tank filled with sewage, police book owner of building
of five men, who climbed down a tank to clean it, died and one fell unconscious after allegedly inhaling the toxic gases inside. The incident was reported from south Delhi’s Vasant Kunj area on Saturday morning.
The men, Swarn Singh (45) Deepak (28) Anil (23) Balvinder (32) and Jaspal (20), all residents of Ambedkar colony, had been hired by the owner of a 600 square-feet building in Vasant Kunj to clean the tank. Out of the five, only Jaspal, son of deceased Swarn Singh, survived.
Police said the tank they entered to clean was a water harvest facility but turned into a septic tank after sewage from an adjacent line collected in it over time. The men were hired after the tank had started stinking since the rains started. The tank had reportedly overflown and the filth had spread.
The police have registered a case under 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) against the owner of the building.
Locals said that Anil opened the lid and went inside the tank first, while the other four waited outside for his instructions. When he did not come out for 10 minutes, Balvinder called out his name. When he did not respond, Balvinder went in behind him. Similarly, Balvinder too stopped responding and was followed by Deepak and Swarn Singh. Jaspal, went in last and sensed the toxic fumes. He did not go in any further and came out.
“The tank had been shut for a long time and toxic gases had formed inside. As soon as they opened the tank and went in, they inhaled the poisonous fumes and fell unconscious. While four of them died, one survived,” DCP south, Ishwar Singh said.
The matter came to fore around 10.43am, when police control room received informa- tion about the five men falling into a tank at 100 feet road in Ghitorni.
Locals alleged that the men were not informed about it being a septic tank. “They were not told that it was a septic tank and there were methane fumes inside, else they would have followed the drill. They were told that it was a water harvesting tank which is why they went straight inside. Else they would have opened the lid and waited for the gas to escape before going in. The builder who appointed them for the job is the one who is to be blamed,” Harbans, neighbour of the five men said.
A fireman who helped pull out the men said, “They were lying unconscious inside the pit. Even after the being left open for so long the gases inside were poisonous enough to make anyone unconscious. They were rushed to Fortis, AIIMS Trauma Centre and Safdarjung hospital,” he said.
Speaking to HT, Deepak’s brother, Bambola Dubey said, “He used to work with caterers. We do not know why he went for
sanitation workers, who died after allegedly inhaling toxic gases while cleaning a tank in south Delhi’s Vasant Kunj on Saturday, did not follow the rules while cleaning a septic tank as they thought they were going in to clean a rainwater harvesting pit.
In 2016, the Delhi high court had issued an order to the government to enforce rainwater harvesting on a large scale after a PIL filed by director of NGO Tapas, Vinod Jain.
According to Jain, there may have been a design fault due to which the water pit became a sewage pit.
“This might be because of monitoring and awareness. In these pits, sewage and garbage shouldn’t go. It is meant for just rain water, which is pure. It must have turned into a sewage pit over time and exposure to methane gas may have caused the mishap,” the activist said.
Doctors say this kind of a pit, which is filled with sewage, produces toxic gases like carbon monoxide and methane and makes breathing difficult.
“When a person is exposed to these gases, shortage of oxygen is created, a state of acute hypoxaemia. You don’t even get the time to come up as you lose alertness. They should have been wearing special masks and have proper breathing apparatus. In other countries, you have machines to do this,” Dr Vikas Maurya, head of pulmonology, Fortis, Shalimar Bagh, said.
Jain also said there is no government body monitoring installation of harvesting pits in private houses.
According to a senior DJB official, rainwater harvesting pits are responsibility of the owner where it is built.