{"id":1702,"date":"2020-04-10T11:30:29","date_gmt":"2020-04-10T11:30:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/2020\/12\/23\/how-can-we-support-sanitation-workers-during-covid-19\/"},"modified":"2025-11-10T16:52:48","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T11:22:48","slug":"how-can-we-support-sanitation-workers-during-covid-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/kn-in\/how-can-we-support-sanitation-workers-during-covid-19\/","title":{"rendered":"How can we support sanitation workers during COVID-19?"},"content":{"rendered":"

In addition to healthcare professionals, there is another group of people at the frontlines of the global crisis caused by COVID-19. They put their lives at risk every day and play a critical role in preventing the spread of the virus, by ensuring our streets, parks, public spaces, sewers, septic tanks, communities, and public toilets are kept clean and hygienic.<\/p>

They are our often-overlooked sanitation workers. These five million<\/a> public health and safety workers—who continue to work through the COVID-19 pandemic—are unprotected, stigmatised, unappreciated, and seen as people to be shunned.<\/p>

One of the biggest challenges they face is that they have no information about affected households, nor about those who are at high risk. If they contract the virus, they have very little recourse to health safety nets, insurance, or access to already overflowing public health facilities. This is particularly stark for women sanitation workers, who make up more than 50 percent of urban sanitation workers<\/a>.<\/p>

\"What<\/a><\/div>

\n

\"sanitation

If sanitation workers contract the virus, they have very little recourse to health safety nets, insurance, or access to already overflowing public health facilities. | Photo courtesy: Flickr<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p>

What needs to be done to ensure the health and safety of these essential workers?<\/strong><\/h3>
Provide protective equipment <\/strong><\/div>

While we recognise that frontline staff in hospitals and health facilities face a dire shortage<\/a> of personal protective equipment (PPE), the need of the hour is also to find ways to provide sanitation workers with the following necessities: masks (at the very least, double-layered stitched cloth masks), rubber gloves, aprons, protective footwear or boots, sanitiser, and soap.<\/p>

In Maharashtra, the government has allowed all Urban Local Bodies to use the Fourteenth Finance Commission<\/a> funds to purchase PPE for sanitation workers, and allowed sanitation workers to work in shifts. In Telangana<\/a>, self-help groups (SHGs) have been roped in to produce masks for sanitation workers.<\/p>

Provide financial support <\/strong><\/div>

This can be done both at individual and organisational levels.<\/p>