Health, Safety and Dignity of Sanitation Workers: An Initial Assessment

Sanitation Workers
Image: WaterAid/ CS Sharada Prasad

Sewers are underground and unseen. But sewers get blocked and have to be unblocked. They overflow and have to be cleaned. They break and have to be repaired. They are often densely networked; the pipes old, the streets narrow. And so sewer management remains quite a challenge. 

This report presents the findings of a study that examined nine case studies of sanitation workers in low- and middle-income countries, predominantly focusing on emptying pits and tanks, providing transportation of fecal sludge, and performing sewer maintenance.