In Pakistan, especially in major cities like Karachi, open manholes and gutters pose a serious and recurring threat to human life. The dangers are compounded by poorly maintained drainage systems, missing or broken covers, and inadequate lighting in crowded areas. These open drains are often filled with toxic sewage and lack oxygen, which can cause suffocation or drowning within minutes.
In a recent tragic incident, four sanitation workers fell into a drain near Siddique Wahab Road in Karachi. According to a statement from the Edhi Foundation, three of them died, and the fourth remains unconscious. The deceased were identified as 22-year-old Vishal, 19-year-old Shahir, and 42-year-old George, while 26-year-old Faisal was taken to Civil Hospital’s Trauma Centre.
Police surgeon Sumaiya Syed confirmed that the workers “expired in a manhole while cleaning it” and that their families have declined a post-mortem. DIG South Syed Asad Raza stated that the workers were hired by Union Council chairman Javed for a wage of Rs15,000 and were working on the drain since 1 a.m. He added that when one worker lost consciousness, the other two entered the manhole to help him but also passed out.
This incident is part of a troubling pattern. Last week, three private sanitation workers asphyxiated in an underground septic tank at a cattle farm in Faisalabad. On September 11, two more sanitation workers died after inhaling toxic gases while cleaning an underground tank at a company in Port Qasim. In June, five men, including a sanitation worker and two brothers, died under similar circumstances while cleaning an underground water tank in Karachi’s Ibrahim Hyderi. These frequent deaths underscore the dangerous conditions faced by sanitation workers and the critical need for improved infrastructure and safety protocols in Pakistan.
