DJB officials to supervise cleaning of sewers, says Delhi government

New Delhi: Senior DJB officials will supervise cleaning of sewers where manual intervention is required, the Delhi government said on Tuesday, following the deaths of 10 workers in a little over a month.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) has issued fresh directions to its engineers to rein in private contractors who are not following the norms for cleaning sewers on DJB lines. 

This comes a day after L-G Anil Baijal directed the water utility to figure out a plan for migration to 100 per cent mechanisation for cleaning of sewer/ drains within 15 days. The DJB officials said that while “most” of the sewers are cleaned mechanically, it was decided to make the process 100 per cent mechanised as soon as possible.

“The mechanised clea-ning is followed almost everywhere while cleaning DJB sewers. We don’t allow manual cleaning in sewers...  Out of the four incidents that have happened recently, only one in Lajpat Nagar happened on the DJB line and we have taken strict action against those involved,” said a DJB official.At least ten sanitation workers have died during cleaning of sewers in a little over a month.