Search for missing sanitation worker in canal halted, operations to resume today
The 42-year-old worker went missing on Saturday while cleaning a canal due to a sudden increase in water level due to heavy rains
The extensive search operation to trace the 42-year-old sanitation worker, who went missing in a canal in Thiruvananthapuram city, was called off late Sunday evening due to low light and large amounts of garbage deposited in the canal, officials familiar with the matter said, adding that the search operation will resume on Monday.
One of the officials said the worker, identified as Joy, a temporary sanitation worker, was involved in the cleaning of the Aamayizhanjan canal near the Thiruvananthapuram Central railway station on Saturday when he was swept away due to a sudden increase in water level due to heavy rainfall. Two other workers, who accompanied Joy, were able to get out of the canal in time.
The team comprising of state fire and rescue personnel, NDRF personnel, scuba diving teams, police and city corporation workers started searching for Joy since Saturday afternoon. State fire and rescue services head K Padmakumar said the tunnel likely has side channels. “It’s not a straight one. We are holding discussions analysing the map of the tunnel which is under the railway lines. There is a lot of waste accumulated in the side channels too,” he told reporters on Sunday.
The major impediment before the rescue team was the massive accumulation of plastic and hard waste in a 200-metre portion of the canal tunnel which goes under the railway tracks leading to the Central station.
According to one of the officials, robots made by the startup team Bandicoot were also deployed in the canal to flush out waste and clear space inside the tunnel. The robots are used by civic agencies across the state especially in cleaning canals and manholes and are aimed at minimising manual scavenging.
A worker, who was involved in the mission, said, “We are going into the tunnel by feeling our fingers and hands. Because there is zero vision inside the tunnel. Inside were sacks filled with plastic and other hard waste. It was very tough.”
The search operation to find Joy is expected to begin early Monday morning.
Following the incident, Thiruvananthapuram additional divisional railway manager Viji MR dismissed allegations by the corporation that the railways denies them permission to it to clean the canal near its premises. “Corporation never asked us for permission. If they had, we would have readily agreed,’ she said.
In response, mayor Arya Rajendran said it was the responsibility of the Railways to clean the canal especially in the clogged section near the Central railway station. “Railways could have told us that they needed help with clearing the waste and we would have helped. But their officials are responsible for waste clearance in and around the premises. How can they say they are not responsible?’ she said.
Labour minister V Sivankutty said: “Our priority is to find Joy. The rest of the matter, including how the railway was handling the canal, will be dealt with later. The district collector has been entrusted with the task of investigating the incident and filing a report.
The state health department has deputed a special team of experts to provide medical aid to the rescue team. The medical team is at the site with ambulances carrying oxygen and basic life support systems.
“One cannot stand near the canal for more than 15-20 minutes (presumably due to the smell of the polluted water). The rescue workers (who enter the canal) need to clean themselves and take medicines at regular intervals. The fire-and-rescue teams are working tirelessly, fighting all odds,” Sivankutty said.
Meanwhile, the Kerala state human rights commission (KSHRC) on Sunday served a notice to the authorities in this regard. KSHRC acting chairperson and judicial member K Byjunath directed the district collector and the corporation secretary to submit a report within the next seven days.
With PTI inputs
