Sanitation Work Research Articles

Examining the health and wellbeing of women sanitation workers in Ghana and Kenya

About 3.6 billion people worldwide lack access to safely managed sanitation service. To bridge service gaps, informal sanitation businesses have emerged as alternative service providers to meet the sanitation needs of unserved populations. Informal sanitation workers include persons who empty septic tanks, clean toilets, sewers, and manage public toilets. They provide a fundamental public service particularly in areas where access to municipal sanitation service is limited. Through qualitative methodologies, this paper explores the lived experiences and associated health risks of women working in the informal sanitation sector in urban Ghana and Kenya. Our findings show that female informal sanitation workers were exposed to injuries and infections, stigma and discrimination, emotional and psychological distress, sexual harassment, and unhealthy coping strategies. Distinctively, younger female participants were more likely to experience sexual harassment. Because of social stigma, many of the women developed unsafe work practices such as refusal to wear PPE and working at night. By paying close attention to the embodied effects of informal sanitation work, we can better comprehend the daily politics, lived experiences, and urban social infrastructure regimes that have a significant impact on the quality of life of informal sanitation workers. The results are also crucial for developing programs for women's empowerment and labour and social protection policies, especially in lowincome settings where gender norms interact with income disparities and other sociopolitical issues to affect women's participation in the labor market.

Results of the implementation of sanitation measures in the farms unfavorable for bovine leukemia

The dynamics of recuperation work on the example of two farms similar in economic and production and technological characteristics of the Novosibirsk region were studied. The data on leukemia at the time of the beginning of active recuperation work and the results after several years were presented. The infection rates of the livestock by different age groups and in different parts of the studied farms were analyzed for 2017-2022. The infection rate of cows on the farms tended to decrease slightly from 2017 to 2019 and was in the range of 8-4%. The infection rate of the heifers was 5-12%. Registration of new cases of serology response in the group of the calves in the farm No. 1 decreased from 9.9 to 4.9%, in the farm No. 2 from 14.2 to 7.1%. The positive dynamics of implementation of the recovery plan using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for serological diagnosis was shown. After switching from the immunodiffusion in agar gel reaction (AGID) to ELISA and its first use, the number of newly detected animals increased in all age groups in both farms compared to the previous period. In subsequent studies, the percentage of new cases decreased significantly. Physical separation of the groups of animals with different statuses, placing them in different sections and clear control with the immediate exclusion of infected animals from the production process led to a noticeable improvement in the epizootic situation on the farm. Aspects causing delay in sanitation work were noted, in particular, untimely separation of animals into groups after serological diagnosis and establishment of their infection status. Complete replacement of infected cattle in unhealthy herds or wards by groups of serology-negative animals can significantly reduce the recovery period, especially at the final stage.

Asserting caste? Bhishti sanitation workers and Muslim caste associations in Jaipur

ABSTRACT The article analyses the ways in which low-ranked Muslims mobilise collective terms for self-identification to avail preferential state policies (reservations). Specifically, it focuses on the strategies deployed by the Bhishtis, a caste group associated with carrying water, to be listed as Other Backward Classes (OBC) and claim municipal sanitation work as ‘safāī karamchārī’. Reservation policies are instrumental in shaping the Bhishtis' demands and social positions. They reproduce caste-based division of labour and accentuate internal cleavages within the community. While distancing themselves from elite emulation (Ashrafisation), the Bhishti simultaneously deploy caste-based and Islamic identities in their quest for material gains. Caste identity is used instrumentally vis-à-vis the state to avail OBC reservation and demand municipal sanitation jobs. Additionally, it functions as an oppositional identity towards upper class elites within the community. Islamic identity emphasises a work ethic and dignified labour, and enabled criticism of the state for practicing religious discrimination when a commitment to Bhishti employment was officially removed from the sanitation department. Internally, the Islamic identity helps keep the various factions within the community united. In fact, local articulations of birādarī identity evolve across space and time, questioning whether it is fruitful to talk about birādarī and caste.

The Human Dignity Argument against Manual Scavenging in India

In this article, we argue that manual scavenging and the 2013 Act which prohibits it are unconstitutional as they violate human dignity, the prohibition against untouchability, and the right to life enshrined in the Constitution of India. We bring out contradictions and limitations in the Supreme Court’s jurisprudence on manual scavenging and show that it misses out on deploying its own strong anti-untouchability and human dignity-based jurisprudence in the judicial treatment of manual scavenging. This progressive jurisprudence outlaws all forms of social exclusion and does not allow for any exceptions to the right to human dignity. We then propose a framework which outlines the unconstitutionality of the very practice of manual scavenging through an in-depth and conjoint analysis of the Indian constitutional jurisprudence on prohibition untouchability, right to human dignity and right to life. A conjoint reading of the three principles brings out the real potential of the Indian Constitution in safeguarding the rights of manual scavengers, a feat which must begin with a complete abolition of all forms of scavenging work without exception. Arguing against the acceptability of allegedly “safe” sanitation work, we propose an alternative framework to understand and critique manual scavenging, without which a complete eradication of manual scavenging is impossible.

LCC (LIFE CYCLE COST) Analysis On Septic Tank Alternative Types (Case Study Of Housing Pt Baruga Asrinusa Balithai Land Area Phase II, Makassar, Indonesia)

In the planning concept for the housing project, PT Baruga Asri, the Blaithai area, still uses a modular septic tank and is still conventional. Meanwhile, there are alternative choices for the type of Septic tank as a fecal treatment facility which are widely available in the market. The research method uses primary data, with sources of RAB, and Makassar City Work Unit Price Analysis. As well as secondary research methods with sources, from relevant books, and important data about the project such as price lists and wages. It can be concluded that among all Balithai Land housing developments by following the RAB reference for Bukit Baruga Asrinusa housing in the Balithai Land area and AHSP (Work Unit Price Analysis) Makassar city, sanitation work items are one of the work items that can be broken down in terms of the costs involved. also eat up a large budget, even though there are actual work items that cost more. And there was a difference in sanitation work items between the main design and alternative designs of Rp. 148,718.00 and there was 1 alternative design that was raised to replace the existing design currently used, namely by replacing the use of Septic Tank buis concrete Ø80 (4 stacks 2.0 m high) + Cover + Infiltration + 2.5" ventilation pipe with a septic tank with bio capacity of 3-5 0 people. Thus saving the cost of the Bukit Baruga Asrinusa housing development project in the Balithai Land area phase 2. From Rp. 7,025,788.31 to Rp. 6,877,070 ,15.

An Analysis of Factors for Increase in Financial Turnover Gap Between Construction Companies Established During Same Time Period in KSA

This research investigates and evaluates various management-related factors influencing the Saudi Arabian construction companies that are responsible for the increase in the financial turnover gap between construction companies established during the same time period in KSA and tries to determine if the corporate management team or the site management team has a significant effect on the overall performance and success of construction companies. The study has made use of quantitative research methods with a deduction approach. This research is conducted by using a web-based survey questionnaire targeted at the sample size of 400 professionals from all regions of Saudi Arabia including all demographic levels. As per the results, the highest RII scorings of the success/failure factors related to the corporate management (Payment delay, Poor cost estimation, Weakness of the financial and technical capabilities of some contractors, and Delays in decision making by the management team) revealed the importance of corporate management issues that are responsible for the increase in financial turnover gap. The results obtained from the research would provide insight to companies for better identification of issues that may be facing the organization and therefore, helpful in the formation of policies that may benefit the organization to reduce the financial turnover gap between them. This is the first research that covers all five major grading areas: Roads, Water and sanitation work, Buildings, Electrical work, and Mechanical work with grade I, II & III classified contractors including all thirteen provinces of Saudi Arabia. The literature review revealed that none of the previous research covered grading areas and demography.

Intersections of caste, class, and gender in healthcare sanitation work in India: Social work imperatives for restructuring marginalized women's care work

AbstractHousekeeping and sanitary workers are crucial for the functional efficiency and hygiene of healthcare facilities. In India, women from oppressed castes and backward classes are predominantly recruited in these occupations. The work, regarded as “polluting,” is stigmatized, devalued, and lies at the historical and sociocultural intersections of caste, class, and gender. In the context of the COVID‐19 pandemic, this paper utilizes the concepts of “feminization of labor” and “care ethics” to read caste into an intersectional theoretical analysis of the organization of marginalized women's labor in such essential, yet invisibilized healthcare work. An exploratory narrative review of literature focusing exclusively on marginalized healthcare housekeepers and sanitation workers in India is undertaken and supplemented with a critical analysis of labor laws and policies to trace the sustained reproduction of the caste‐based sexual division of labor in these occupations. I propose that their exploitative terms and conditions are sustained by what I refer to as the “feminine caste contract” – a complex sociopolitical and legal arrangement of precarious, casteist, and gendered work conditions. Recognizing the exploitation inherent in this contract, recommendations are made for social work education and practice to play a key role in restructuring marginalized women's labor in essential care work.

Taking Dignity Seriously to Protect Manual Scavengers in India: Lessons from the UN Human Rights Committee

Abstract This article analyses the Indian caste-based occupation of sanitation work undertaken without protective equipment—manual scavenging. The current legal framework on manual scavenging in India suggests that demolishing dry latrines will abolish manual scavenging. This approach overlooks the coercive nature of the caste system and is therefore an inadequate solution for abolishing manual scavenging. Hence, this article asks ‘how can the legal system provide better legal protections to manual scavengers when the caste system that underpins the practice is deeply entrenched in Indian society?’ The article examines one possible answer—taking dignity more seriously. It demonstrates that manual scavenging is a dignitarian problem by mapping the main dignitarian harms that arise from it, such as humiliation, loss of autonomy and tensions with group dignity. Ultimately, it proposes using dignity in line with the jurisprudence of the UN Human Rights Committee to provide more comprehensive legal protections for manual scavengers.

Quasi-experimental study to evaluate the effectiveness of a health education program in terms of knowledge and attitudes toward the prevention of common respiratory illnesses among sanitation workers in Gurugram, Haryana

Objectives: The study's goal is to conduct research on the effectiveness of a Health Teaching Programme (HTP) in preventing common respiratory illnesses among sanitation employees in a specific region in Gurugram, Haryana. Methodology: Apre-experimental research was conducted to determine the effectiveness of HTP in preventing common respiratory disorders. A quantitative research technique, also known as a quantitative research design, was applied in this study. Purposive sampling was used to choose 60 people. The attitude scale on prevention of common respiratory disorders among sanitation employees was assessed using self-structured questionnaires and a Likert scale in chosen locations of Gurugram, Haryana. Result: The difference between the mean pre-test and post-test knowledge scores of sanitation work is 4.99 and the t-value is 11.675 with the df, 59 and the p-value is 0.000, which is significant at the 0.05 level. Similar to the sanitation work, there is a difference in the mean pre-test scores and post-test attitude scores of 23.55 and t-value is 44.740 with the df, 59 and p-value is 0.000, which is significant at the 0.05 level. There is an effectiveness of a health education programme on sanitation employees' understanding of how to prevent common respiratory illnesses.

Sanitation Workers: A Neglected Community of Indian Civilized Society

Sanitation workers are those who work in any part of the sanitation chain. They perform one of the most important jobs in the society, and still, they remain unseen and unappreciated. The stigmatized caste system in India remains to be the key determinant of the fate of these workers. These workers often come into direct contact with human waste, working with no equipment or protection, which exposes them to a wide variety of health hazards and diseases that can cause unconsciousness or death. There is an urgent need to look into their problems, and this cannot be addressed without having a detailed understanding of the depth and width of their problems. Hence, the present study covers a number of areas such as the vast prevalence of sanitation workers in India, their pathetic conditions, their social and economic status, deaths due to sanitation related works and an alternative livelihood to sanitation work. Finally, this article suggests what the government needs to do for improving the lives of sanitation workers.

Assessment of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Practices Among Households, 2019 - Sierra Leone: A Community-based Cluster Survey.

Introduction:In Sierra Leone, diseases related to water, sanitation, and hygiene remain among the leading cause of morbidity and account for 20% of all death. This study assessed the water, sanitation, and hygiene services and practices at household level in Sierra Leone.Methods:A cluster survey was conducted among 1002 households in 4 districts of Sierra Leone. Data was collected on water, sanitation, and hygiene indicators, occurrence of diarrhoeal diseases at household level within 14-day prior to the survey. Chi-square test at 95% significant level was computed to compare the difference in accessing improved water sources, sanitation, and hygiene in urban and rural areas.Result:Of the 1002 households surveyed, 650 (65%) had access to improved drinking water sources. In the urban areas, 432 (88%) out of 486 households had improved drinking water source, which is higher as compared to rural areas. Only 218 (42%) out of 516 households had improved drinking water (P < .001). Of the total households surveyed, 167 (17%) had improved sanitation with 45 (5%) having a handwashing facility. There were 173 households reporting diarrhoeal disease within 2 weeks prior to the survey, with prevalence of 17%.Conclusion:Majority of households in rural areas do not have access to improved water sources, sanitation, and handwashing facilities. This study found a high prevalence of diarrhoeal disease at the household level. It is recommended that The Ministry of Health and Sanitation work with relevant sectors to increase access to improved drinking water, sanitation, and handwashing facilities in rural areas.

A Design of Intelligent Garbage Bin System

Garbage classification is more and more significant recent years. In order to promote the implementation of garbage classification and the improvement of intellectualization of urban sanitation work, a new type of intelligent garbage bin system is designed, which includes the bottom control part, android app and IOT cloud platform. Firstly, the system controls the inlets of intelligent garbage bin through interaction with android app, which realizes the function of ordinary garbage can. On top of that, the bottom control part collects all kinds of data of garbage bin by using some external sensors. And then the data will be reported to Android and Android will report that to cloud platform. Cloud platform server then transmits data to monitoring platform, which facilitates data statistics and the removing of garbage. By deploying the system, garbage classification can be promoted and the status of garbage can be effectively monitored, which will significantly improve garbage recovery efficiency and sanitation work level.

Integrating sanitation and climate change adaptation: lessons learned from case studies of WaterAid’s work in four countries

The links between climate change and sanitation are frequently overlooked in the WASH sector. This paper examines experiences of WaterAid in Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, India, and Madagascar where there was some consideration of the impacts of climate change on sanitation. Climate resilience was often not considered explicitly, however, with work instead framed around weather-related threats that are now increasingly frequent and severe. In these case studies, sanitation and climate integration involved adapting on-site sanitation hardware to physical impacts on infrastructure, while some social aspects of climate resilience were also considered. Integration took place primarily at the project level, while climate change consideration seemed absent from wider planning and decision-making. Aside from these case studies, most of WaterAid’s sanitation work does not seem to incorporate climate change. It is recommended that climate resilience is integrated into each stage of sanitation programming, with a more systematic consideration of its potential impacts.

Mental health at the intersections of marginalization: A conceptual model to explore the mental health concerns of women sanitation workers in India

AbstractIn India, sanitation work is predominantly undertaken by persons from oppressed castes whose customary roles relegate them to stigmatized occupations. Women sanitation workers, comprising nearly half of the urban workforce, grapple with multiply marginalized identities and social positions. Marginalized at the intersections of caste, gender, and occupation, they contend with violence and socio‐economic discrimination. The literature on the occupational and psychosocial risks of sanitation workers indicates that the mental health concerns of women sanitation workers remain largely unaddressed in research and public policy. This paper draws on an analytical review of research on women sanitation workers’ occupational and psychosocial risks with the objective of conceptualizing the relationship between marginalization and mental health. Utilizing intersectionality and social systems theories to present women sanitation workers as a critical case, their experiences of marginalization at the intersections of caste, gender, and occupation are analyzed. Consequently, a conceptual model of mental health outcomes at the intersections of multiply marginalized identities and social positions is developed to analyze the implications of marginalization for mental health. Guidelines for action to inform public policy and social work practice are suggested, emphasizing the need for intersectional interventions and a social justice framework in mental health care for marginalized groups.

Incidence of spontaneous abortions and congenital anomalies in the vicinity of a uranium processing plant.

The exposure of embryos or foetuses to ionising radiation can cause serious detriments to health. Thus, an enhanced incidence of spontaneous abortions and congenital anomalies might be expected in the vicinity of a uranium processing plant. We analysed the situation in the vicinity of MAPE Mydlovary, a facility about 20 km from České Budějovice, South Bohemia, Czech Republic, which was in operation from 1963 to 1992. No relevant data are available for the period of operation of the uranium processing plant. Statistical data have only been collected since 1994. As sanitation work in the area was initiated at around that time and has yet to be completed, we considered a study of possible prenatal effects in the vicinity of MAPE Mydlovary to still be of interest. Data were provided by the Institute of Health Information and Statistics of the Czech Republic for the years 1994-2013. We tested whether there are demonstrable, statistically significant differences between the microregions of the four closest villages (Mydlovary, Olešník, Zahájí, and Zliv), the District of České Budějovice, the South-Bohemian Region, and the Czech Republic. No increase was found in the incidence of spontaneous abortions and congenital anomalies in the vicinity of this former uranium processing plant compared to the surrounding District of České Budějovice, the South Bohemian Region, or the Czech Republic as a whole.

Scrub typhus with multi-organ dysfunction syndrome and immune thrombocytopenia: a case report and review of the literature

BackgroundScrub typhus is an acute infectious zoonotic disease caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi. Multi-organ dysfunction secondary to scrub typhus is hard to diagnose and has a high mortality rate. Only one case of scrub typhus with multi-organ dysfunction syndrome and immune thrombocytopenia has been reported thus far. In this study, we report a second case of scrub typhus with multi-organ dysfunction syndrome and immune thrombocytopenia, and we summarize its diagnosis and treatment.Case presentationA 43-year-old Han Chinese woman, a sanitation worker, was admitted to our hospital after 7 days of a skin infection and 5 days of a sore throat with fever and dizziness. A physical examination revealed the presence of an eschar on the right side of her neck. She had a history of insect bites during her sanitation work. A diagnostic evaluation identified scrub typhus as the primary illness, which was associated with multi-organ dysfunction syndrome and immune thrombocytopenia. She recovered completely after 15 days of treatment and extensive symptomatic supportive care.ConclusionWe report a second case of tsutsugamushi disease with multi-organ dysfunction syndrome and immune thrombocytopenia, which resolved after treatment and extensive care.

The Uses and Abuses of Inequality

Social inequalities obviously affect human capabilities and are undesirable from a welfare standpoint. But they may actually be useful for particular growth trajectories, by creating segmented labour markets that reduce production costs. Some patterns of growth may rely on such inequalities and thereby accentuate and perpetuate them. In extreme cases, “modernising” capitalism, instead of destroying traditional forms of social oppression and discrimination, can strengthen pre-existing social inequalities. Two examples from India illustrate this: the significance of unpaid and underpaid care work that both relies upon and reinforces gender-based inequalities; and the persistence of dehumanising forms of work such as manual scavenging and unprotected sanitation work, that rely upon caste discrimination. To avoid the most regressive and oppressive socio-cultural tendencies of the past being strengthened by the operations of capitalism, policy interventions need to reiterate the core principles of ensuring human freedom and dignity in the economic sphere as well.

When the pits fill up: (in)visible flows of waste in urban India

Abstract India's flagship program on sanitation and hygiene – the Swachh Bharat Mission – aims to eliminate open defecation and to manage urban waste for a ‘Clean India’. The emptying of toilet pits and the transport of waste are as critical as more toilets are for sustainable sanitation. In unsewered cities of the global South, these services are mainly provided by privately run cleaning trucks. We find that the physical and social mechanisms through which these services are organized are virtually invisible in national fecal sludge and waste management policies. Based on a rich ethnography of cleaning trucks in Bangalore, India, we show that trucking operations dispose of sludge in ways that harm both public health and the environment, and that the caste composition of sanitation work helps to keep it invisible from officials and the public. We draw on the concept of the social role of disgust to explain the seen-and-unseen nature of these trucks. ‘Seeing’ sludge management as it is practiced is essential for understanding how the sanitary city is being produced and for the success of future sanitation reforms. This article has been made Open Access thanks to the generous support of a global network of libraries as part of the Knowledge Unlatched Select initiative.

Parenting from the ‘Polluted’ Margins: Stigma, Education and Social (Im)Mobility for the Children of India’s Out-Casted Sanitation Workers

Sanitation work is considered highly polluted in Hindu society and the stigma inflicted on sweepers and manual scavengers (safai karamcharis) extends to their children. This paper examines how safai karamcharis navigate parenting from the ‘polluted’ margins. It explores strategies adopted to protect children from stigma and explains how these strategies are temporal and partial. It also discusses the hope parents place on education for their children’s social mobility but how securing quality education is fraught with challenges, and that while education is necessary it is insufficient for the children of safai karamcharis to achieve social mobility and freedom from caste-based occupational rigidity.

A comparative study of Co-curricular activities of Art and Science students at High School level

The aim of present study was to find out participation in co-curricular activities of Art and Science group students of Pratapgarh district at High School level. On the basis of analysis of data and interpretation it was observed that science students are better than Arts students in dramatic activities, scouting, gardening, exhibition and sanitation work, whereas Arts students were better in sports and games, Musical activities, physical activities, debates, community work and excursion. The majority of Art students mostly participated in gossips, reading magazines whereas majority of science (math) students mostly participated in preparing chart, diagrams doing class-work etc.