BWSSB to set up helpline to regulate cleaning of pits, septic tanks

The IT capital’s reliance on manual scavengers is a dirty secret. In an effort to crack down on citizens hiring private service providers to clean pits and septic tanks, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) is working towards setting up a helpline. The purpose is to register agencies and service providers offering de-sludging and cleaning services, and crack down on those who break the law. This comes a year after the Board decided to make it mandatory for citizens to hire service providers that it had certified. An internet search on service providers to clean pits and septic tanks throws up hundreds of results, with many of the companies offering ‘mechanical cleaning’. However, activists claim that this cleaning is not bereft of human intervention with agencies hiring cheap labour as well.