Govt to start safe septic tank cleaning drive from Aug 15
Announcing this on its social media handle X (formerly Twitter), the urban development department stated that it will be a 15-day long IEC campaign, which will cover all 115 urban local bodies of the state.
"A 15-day IEC campaign on safe septic tank cleaning will be launched across all ULBs from August 15. A preparatory meeting was held under the chairpersonship of Usha Padhee, principal secretary, H&UD department, with ULB officials through video conferencing," the announcement reads.
The department has stated that the campaign will focus on community awareness, safe desludging, and promoting mechanised cleaning to ensure safety, dignity, and zero manual entry in septic tank operations.
Notably, chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi recently announced a range of social welfare benefits for the core sanitation workers, primarily the septic tank cleaners, which include insurance benefits, housing provisions, and healthcare benefits, among others.
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The state govt in the past introduced comprehensive Odisha Urban Septage Management Guidelines-2016, which define the role of house owners as well as the urban local bodies in the construction of the septic tanks in houses.
It also specified the safety measures to be followed for the septic tank cleaners and barred manual scavenging. However, due to lack of awareness and implementation issues, the state in the past witnessed several tragic incidents involving the sanitation workers.
"We are aware of the situation and the risk core sanitation workers take during their day-to-day job. The awareness drive to be launched by the department will cover all these issues and raise awareness on safety," an urban development department official said.
He said during the awareness drive, the civic body officials will also be sensitised on the safety of the sanitation workers. "The specified guidelines will be implemented for proper septage management in urban areas," the official added.
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