The machines can enter and clean narrow lanes. (Express photo) The machines can enter and clean narrow lanes. (Express photo)

Hoping to turn manual scavengers into skilled workers, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal flagged off a fleet of 200 sewer cleaning machines Thursday.

The machines, which can enter narrow sewer lanes, have been provided to manual scavengers so that the illegal practice of forcing sanitation workers into sewers is done away with.

Explained Gamechanger Presence of manholes and sewage networks in narrow lanes endangers lives of manual scavengers. The machines used by the DJB so far were not designed to enter narrow lanes. The new machines, which can enter lanes as narrow as six feet, will help tackle the issue.

“It is a historic day for Delhi to start this initiative… Manual scavengers had to enter the sewage… and put their lives in danger…We planned to ensure that sewers are cleaned through machines,” Kejriwal said.

The machines, developed by DJB officers, were given to 200 people who are already engaged in sewer cleaning work. They have been fitted with equipment for hydraulic, jetting, grabbing and roding work, and will clean manholes that are up to 30 feet deep.

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