A day after two persons lost their lives in a septic tank in Malad West’s Malwani area, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) preliminary investigation report stated that the victims had entered the tank to clean it manually. The BMC has also sent a showcause notice to the private agencies involved in the upkeep and maintenance of the community toilet attached with the tank. According to India’s manual scavenging Act passed in 2013, no person or agency can engage or employ any person for manual scavenging. Any person or agency who engages any person for manual scavenging in violation of provisions of the MS Act, 2013 is punishable under Section 8 of the Act. On Thursday evening, three persons — Suraj Kevat (18), Bikas Kevat (20) and Ramlagan Kevat (45) — had entered the septic tank attached with the tank. All three of them were sanitation workers appointed by the private agency that was responsible for maintaining the toilet. Out of the three who fell into the tank, Suraj and Bikas died. Civic officials said the toilet was constructed in 2018 and was handed over to a local agency for maintainence. “Three people were working in the community-based toilet and had entered the septic tank premises for cleaning the toilet manually. Due to the presence of obnoxious gases inside the septic tank, three people suffocated and were found unconscious. They were taken out from the septic tank and were moved to Shatabdi Hospital,” the BMC’s report states. The report also states that while inspecting the premises a toxic odour was felt by the authorities and the lid of the tank was found open, which established that the three victims must have entered the tank for cleaning it. “The nylon thick rope was seen next to the chamber which might have been used by the victims for entering the tank,” the BMC’s report further states. Kiran Dighavkar, assistant municipal commissioner, said the Malvani police station has also been informed about the showcause notice. “We have issued notice to the agency which was looking after the toilet. We are awaiting their reply and if we find their reply unsatisfactory, then we may lodge an official complaint with the police department. For the time being we have alerted them about our inquiry,” Dighavkar told The Indian Express on Friday. The incident was reported around 5.30 pm on Thursday. The sewer in which the victims fell was 15-feet deep and the victims were pulled out by local residents and members of the fire brigade.
