Maharashtra: 5 Sanitation Workers Die After Inhaling Toxic Fumes While Cleaning Septic Tank
In an unfortunate incident, five workers died while cleaning a septic tank after inhaling toxic fumes in Maharashtra's Parbhani district.
As per a PTI report, another worker from the group is in serious condition and is admitted to a district hospital around 500 km from Mumbai.?
Five workers declared dead
The incident took place on Thursday evening in the Bhaucha Tanda area under the jurisdiction of Sonpeth Police Station, a police official told PTI.
Six labourers were reportedly working on cleansing the septic tank in a farm on Thursday afternoon when they felt suffocated and ill.?
Due to their condition, they were taken to the nearest hospital, where five workers were declared dead on arrival.?
An accidental death case was recorded at the Sonpeth police station and a probe was underway, said the official.
Similar incident in Haryana
In April, a similar incident occurred in Haryana's Jhajjar, wherein four people died after inhaling poisonous gas while scouring a septic tank.?
The four workers were fitting pipes in the septic tank in the Jakhoda village when they asphyxiated to death after inhaling fumes.
"It has been reported that four people died while cleaning a septic tank in Jakhoda village. A person along with a mechanic and two other labourers was cleaning the septic tank of his house. The accident is being investigated," Deputy Commissioner had told ANI after the incident.
Hazardous cleaning deaths dropped in India
In July 2022, the government notified the Lok Sabha that 188 people had died while unsafely cleaning sewer and septic tanks since 2019.
In March, Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale, in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, said that the number of deaths occurring due to hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks has substantially lowered in the country. He said the number of such deaths has dropped to 24 in 2021 against 118 in 2019.
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