Unhygienic Spaces and Invisible Exclusion: A Phenomenological Study of Municipality Sanitation Workers in Doda Town, (Jammu & Kashmir)

Abstract

This study employs a phenomenological approach to examine the lived experiences of sanitation workers in Doda Town, Jammu and Kashmir, India. Municipal sanitation workers perform essential labour for public health and urban hygiene, yet their work is marked by hazardous conditions, insecure employment, and persistent social stigma. The study focuses on 21 sanitation workers from the Shaikh (Wattal) Muslim community, selected through purposive sampling, to explore how they experience their occupation, social position, and everyday struggles. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis following Braun and Clarke’s six-phase framework. Seven interrelated themes emerged: trapped livelihood, unsafe workspaces, social stigma, healthcare bias, emotional erosion, systemic neglect, and the struggle for dignity. The findings show that sanitation work in Doda is shaped not only by occupational risk and economic precarity but also by a distinct form of intra-religious marginalisation. Although the community is not formally classified within official Muslim caste categories, the data suggest that their experiences can be meaningfully understood through the broader lens of Muslim social stratification and Arzal-like marginality. The study argues that policy responses must move beyond infrastructure-centred sanitation planning to include labour protection, occupational safety, healthcare access, and measures to challenge social stigma and institutional neglect.