Cleaning up India, one septic tank at a time
The HinduOn any given day, Parameshwari Gunasekaran, 53, can be found serving customers at her meat stall on Bharathi Street in Tiruvanaikovil, a historic temple town near Tiruchi, in the state of Tamil Nadu. Gunasekaran is a de-sludging operator, one of just five women in Tiruchi who offer commercial septic tank cleaning services. “We have signed a memorandum of understanding with the Tiruchi Corporation and DSOs on their operations,” says Sugantha Priscilla, senior specialist, City Wise Inclusive Sanitation, IIHS Tiruchi. “It covers issues such as third-party insurance for all vehicles and GPS trackers to ensure that the sewage is emptied in the right places.” There are other workplace horrors, says M. Sumathi, 40, who took over the daily management of Keerthana Septic Tank Cleaning from her husband a decade ago. “Getting skilled mechanics to repair the trucks is difficult,” says Divya Manimaran, 27, who runs Sri Hari Septic Tank Cleaning with her husband, a former worker for a DSO in Tiruchi.
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