Over 24 hours since a sanitation worker went missing while cleaning a canal in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday, July 13, the Fire and Rescue Services officials said they suspect that he might be trapped amid the massive waste buildup in the canal. Joy, a 42-year-old cleaning worker, had gone missing while cleaning Aamayizhanjanthodu, a prime canal waterway which has been contaminated with trash over the years. Fire force officials said the search and rescue operation is still underway. 

Speaking to TNM, officials said the search is challenging due to the waste deposits in the canal that has created an oxygen deficiency beneath the water. “We have completed a full-fledged search at the place where he went missing. The area is filled with waste, and we went as deep as we could. But the oxygen level is very low there, and if we go deeper that would put our lives at risk. We are doing as much as we can,” a rescue official said.

The official also pointed out that there are gaps between the waste that has built up in the canal, and it is possible Joy might have been able to move through these gaps. “But the canal goes around the city,” he added.

Fire and Rescue Services chairperson K Padmakumar told the media that they would immediately open a control room and make sure all requirements are specified to the rescue operators. “We don’t know the route of the canal under the railway track. We have asked the railway authorities to provide the map. Currently, three teams are taking turns to conduct the rescue operation one by one. The rescue operation will continue for 24 hours,” he said. 

The canal is filled with plastic waste, sewage, medical waste, meat market waste, construction site sludge, as well as waste from households and restaurants. To facilitate rescue operations, the waste deposits have now been cleared from many areas. Currently, divers from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are descending into the areas where the waste has been cleared. 

The Kerala government also requested five to ten expert divers from the Indian Navy for a more intensive search through the tunnels. As per reports, they will arrive this evening. 

What happened to Joy

Two days ago, the Railways had deputed a team of sanitation workers to clean the canal near the Thiruvananthapuram Central Railway Station in Thampanoor. Joy, who hails from Marayamuttom, was one among the workers. 

Though the water was unmoving when they began cleaning, the subsequent rain caused an increase in the water flow that swept Joy away. The incident took place around 11 am on July 13. Though the accompanying workers tried to throw him a rope, he could not hold on to it. By the time the rescue teams arrived, Joy was not to be found near the spot from which he went missing. The teams soon extended their search to other areas of the canal.

According to Joy’s neighbours, he was not a trained sanitation worker. “He used to do different jobs because he needed to take care of his mother. He hadn’t received any professional training to enter a water body with a waste deposit. The authorities had the responsibility to ensure the safety of the workers, but they didn't fulfil that,” his neighbour told the media. 

An engineering mishap?

TNM spoke to environmentalist R Sridhar, who said it was not just waste accumulation that caused the tragic mishap. “It seems that the constructions over the canal were done without taking into account the possibility of the blockages. It is an engineering mishap in that sense. The railway track as well as the road near the Indian Coffee House were all built on top of the canal. If we have to build constructions over a water body, it should be done in such a way that it allows a method to clean the water body. If possible, the water body should also be visible from the outside,” he said. He also emphasised the importance of wider and deeper canals and streams that will let the water flow freely, which he said becomes especially important considering Kerala’s changing rain patterns. 

Sridhar also said the terrible waste mismanagement has had a significant role in escalating the intensity of the issue. “The waste build-up is not only an issue in the area near the railway station, but also in most of the places through which the canal flows. It indicates the failure of the city corporation in effectively collecting and disposing of the waste. The situation was different when VK Prasanth was the Mayor. Prasanth along with his team took a lot of effort to manage the waste,” he said. 

Meanwhile, although the Fire and Rescue Services chairperson has said they have taken measures to ensure the safety of the rescue operators, their health still remains a concern. “The water in the canal is highly toxic. Except for a few officials, other workers have entered the water in their uniforms. The environment is not suitable for human health,” Sridhar added. 

With inputs from Haritha John