
Dozens of sewer cleaners die every year in Bangladesh as they dive into putrid drains to clear blockages with a stick or just their bare hands.

They are paid £7.50 a day at most to swim through the polluted sewers of the overpopulated capital of Dhaka without any protective gear - not even goggles.

The city of 14 million people suffers from an inadequate drainage system that is made considerably worse by heavy rain, leading to frequent flooding.

Dhaka City Corporation pays the men, who usually do their dirty job shirtless, just £4.50 to £7.50 a day to battle the sludge produced in the cramped tunnels criss-crossing the city.

They have to hold their breath as they dive through human waste and also must deal with poisonous fumes emitted by the sewage.

Many die every year from drowning and an unknown number of others suffer health effects from frequent dives.

Dozens of sewer cleaners die every year in Bangladesh was they dive into putrid drains

They are paid a pittance to clear blockages with a stick or just their bare hands, as these two are doing here

They are paid £7.50 a day at most to swim through the polluted sewers of the overpopulated capital of Dhaka

A pair of cleaners try to clear a blockage with a long stick so they don't have to dive back into the murky waters

The cleaners work without any protective gear - not even goggles - as they swim through the dirty water

Dhaka City Corporation pays the men, who usually do their dirty job shirtless, just £4.50 to £7.50 a day

They battle the sludge produced in the cramped tunnels criss-crossing the city, hoping they will live through the day

They have to hold their breath as they dive through human waste with no breathing help or protective gear

They also must deal with poisonous fumes emitted by the sewage as an extra hazard to the health

Many die every year from drowning and an unknown number of others suffer health effects from frequent dives

The city of 14 million people suffers from an inadequate drainage system that makes their work necessary