Key Takeaways:

• The blame game that ensued between the municipal corporation and the railways following the unfortunate demise of a sanitation worker in Thiruvananthapuram exposes the lack of transparency in the governing structure. Despite claims of notifying the railways via ‘letters’ for waste disposal, the failure to publicly disclose the meeting details and decisions highlights the need for greater transparency and accountability from municipal authorities.
• The highly decentralized and segmented management of drain and sewer networks in the state across multiple authorities results in inefficiency and blame shifting. Better coordination and accountability can be ensured by bestowing the mayors of respective municipal corporations with more power to directly oversee the work of all the stakeholders involved.
• The incident also reflects the state’s narrow understanding of the process of ‘rapid urbanization’ merely as an expansion of physical infrastructure and economic growth whilst undermining critical issues like waste management, traffic congestion, and rural-urban linkages. It is high time for the state to drop its ‘paternalistic role’ and embrace modern technologies by collaborating with market participants to address its incapacities.

The death of Joy, one of the three sanitation workers hired by the railway to unclog the Amayizhanjan Canal in Thiruvananthapuram, unveiled the inefficiency of the state in full light. Two days after Joy went missing, his decomposed body was retrieved from the pile of garbage in the Thakaraparambu area. What followed later was a blame game between the City Corporation of Thiruvananthapuram and the Railways, on whose shoulders the responsibility to keep the subterranean portion of the canal that transverses under the railway platforms sewage-free falls. 

When all major news channels broadcasted the rescue operations, individuals from diverse cohorts, including politicians, urban experts, and ordinary citizens, were quick enough to condemn the sight of piled-up garbage. Suddenly a sense of the need for proper waste disposal mechanisms and effective drainage systems was awakened. However, a state that boasts the highest literacy in the country refused to ask the most pressing question: Who is responsible for Joy’s death?

In the aftermath of the tragic incident, the Local Self Government (LSG) ministry washed its hands by highlighting the failure of the railways to respond to the letters intimated by the ministry and the corporation for sewage removal. However, if there were meetings and the subsequent guidelines for waste disposal were communicated with respective stakeholders, as the corporation claims, why has it not been made public yet? To prevent such unfortunate tragedies, the municipal corporations must be held responsible for disclosing the details of the stakeholder meetings to the public, including the participants involved, decisions made, duties and responsibilities assigned, and deadlines set. Instead of keeping this information confined within the four walls of the meeting room, ‘public disclosure’ will ensure transparency and accountability. 

The drain and sewer networks come under different authorities, including the PWD (Public Works Department), City Corporation, NH (National Highways), KWA (Kerala Water Authority), Railway, revenue, and minor irrigation departments. The current situation of blame-shifting emanates from this highly decentralized and segmented governing structure. While it is commonsensical to argue for a single nodal authority to be better equipped to ‘coordinate’ the efforts of these departments, the effectiveness of such coordination is subjective to the role’s interpretation. Should the position involve merely requesting reports from various departments, or should it focus on bestowing the mayor of the respective municipal corporations with more power to directly oversee and coordinate the efforts of all departments? Without the latter approach, it will be challenging to ensure accountability, and more tragedies will continue. 

The amount of legacy waste—garbage that has been piled up for years—that has clogged the canal and the decision of the railway authorities to employ ‘humans’ to clear the waste exposed the state’s incapacity at all levels. It is high time for the state to stop taking on the role of a ‘paternalistic overseer’ in all matters concerning the well-being of its citizens, especially when it failed repeatedly to deliver the assumed role beautifully. To address this incapacity and eliminate the practice of ‘manual cleaning of hazardous waste,’ the state should actively engage with market participants to incorporate modern technologies. This does not mean the state should withdraw entirely; rather, it should serve as a facilitator or regulator for market players in the waste management sector, promoting knowledge sharing and technology integration. The scaling up of the indigenous robotic scavenger ‘Bandicoot,’ developed by Kerala-based Genrobotics, for the removal of hazardous waste in sewers, drains, wastewater tanks, and other similar environments is a welcome step in this direction.

At this critical juncture, the destitution that has forced these sanitation workers to undertake such a life-threatening job in a progressive state like Kerala raises questions about the state’s understanding of the process of rapid urbanization. The state’s narrow understanding of urbanization merely as an expansion of physical infrastructure, a population-centric view, and economic activity overlooked critical aspects, such as the gamut of urban waste generated and proper disposal mechanism, traffic congestion, and the disruption of rural-urban linkages. Therefore, it is high time that the state corrects its course by acknowledging its incapacities and welcoming market players to address the issue. 

Joy and the other two sanitation workers represent a larger, often ‘invisible’ informal workforce tasked with jobs considered ‘disgusting and inferior’ by society. The state’s lackadaisical approach, coupled with the fact that this tragic incident occurred in a society known for its high literacy rate and leading human development indices, compels the question, ‘What does it truly mean to be a progressive state?’.

Views expressed by the author are personal and need not reflect or represent the views of the Centre for Public Policy Research.

Sreelakshmi Harlilal

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Sreelakshmi holds an MSc in International Development from the University of Birmingham and BA Honors Economics from Lady Shri Ram College for Women, University of Delhi. She has worked as Academic Coordinator at a Cambridge International School.

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