Health and Occupational Risks in Sanitation Work: An Empirical Study of Lived Experiences of Sanitation Workers in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, Telangana

Abstract

Sanitation workers are the backbone of urban public health infrastructure. However, their contributions to make the urban spaces habitable are under-recognized. Despite their contributions in various forms, the working conditions of the sanitation workers remain poor. In the prevailing poor working conditions, they face multiple health and occupational risks in their daily lives. The study finds its relevance in the fact that there is a spurt in the process of urbanization, and it requires a large number of sanitation workers to make these spaces livable. Despite government claims of the mechanization of work, a significant portion of the work is still performed under hazardous conditions.

In this backdrop, the current empirical study explores health and occupational risks of sanitation workers working under the jurisdiction of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), Telangana, India. The study focuses on the lived experiences and institutional responses of the various categories of sanitation workers and includes both permanent and contractual sanitation workers. The study adopts a mixed methods research design. It employs a qualitative methodology, supplemented by quantitative data, to holistically examine the daily life experiences of the sanitation workers in Greater Hyderabad. A total of 100 sanitation workers were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. It is supplemented with in-depth interviews of community organisers and supervisors. Additionally, official records of GHMC and other government departments have been analyzed to find the institutional response to the daily challenges of sanitation workers.

By gaining a grounded understanding of urban sanitation labour, the paper contextualizes the workers' narrative to find appropriate policy intervention centred on health and occupational risks, as institutional responses have largely been ineffective.