Chhote Lal followed his brother-in-law to Gurugram nine years ago to escape an impoverished existence in his village near Mathura, Uttar Pradesh. But in the Millennium City of glittering malls, hotels and high-rises, the only job Lal got was cleaning sewers.
There was no work back home so Lal stuck on. “Bhookhe marte the gaon main (We used to go hungry),” Lal, 45, recalls.
Two years ago, his younger son, 19, also illiterate, began working as a scavenger as well. “Baap ne kara to beta kahan jayega? (If the father did this, what else will the son do),” he asks. “Kuch aur nahin aata to yahi karega (He’ll have to do this if he doesn’t know anything else).” Until recently, Lal’s days were spent entering sewers with just a rope tied to his waist, and a bucket and shovel in hand, risking frequent skin infections, respiratory disorders and even death. Just last week, seven people died in Vadodara while cleaning sewers and that’s no isolated incident.
One way to save lives – as finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman – pointed out in the budget on Friday – is switching to robotic cleaning. In April, the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) took a step in that direction by introducing Bandicoot, a human-controlled, semi-automatic robot to clean the city’s sewers. Developed by Thiruvananthapuram-based startup Genrobotics, Bandicoot aims to replace men in sewers, and in the process eliminate the demeaning practice of manual scavenging. “We’re sending missions to Mars, so we wondered why people were still entering manholes and dying,” says co-founder Vimal Govind MK, one four engineer-friends who conceived and developed the robot.
“Abolishing manual scavenging is a mandate for all, this was one of the many steps in that direction,” says Munish Sharma, additional commissioner, MCG. “Early this year, MCG officials visited the Genrobotics production facility in Kerala. They then adapted it to the dimensions of manholes in Gurugram.”
Today, instead of physically entering the sewer, Chhote Lal helps set up the robot, which whirrs to life once it is connected to a portable generator and compressor. Standing 1.5 m tall, Bandicoot weighs around 80kg, and can travel up to a depth of 20 metres. A human operator stands near the manhole and navigates the robot inside the sewer by pressing colourful buttons on the control panel. The robot’s ‘arms’ scoop and collect the solid waste blocking the sewer and deposit it inside the bucket, while its ‘legs’ help stabilise the machine. It also has sensors to measure the level of gases inside the sewer, lights for night-time use and waterproof infrared cameras to relay the scenes inside the sewer.
In addition to making sewer cleaning safer, Bandicoot is also more time and labour-efficient. While it takes three to four hours to clean a sewer manually, the robot can do the same in as little as 20 minutes, and has the capability to clean 10 manholes in a day. It is currently priced at a hefty Rs 32 lakh, but the team is working on lowering this cost further.
Lal and other scavengers working with the MCG welcome Bandicoot. “The most important thing is that no one has to go inside the sewer anymore so we aren’t afraid that they will be exposed to dangerous gases,” says Pammi, 26, a supervisor in Sector 15 Gurugram, who was introduced to the line of work by his brother.
Genrobotics founders say their aim is to rehabilitate the workers rather than take their jobs, and train them in operating the robots. “Most scavengers are uneducated and have been forced to take up this job,” says co-founder Arun George. “We hope to give technological solutions to the problem.” However, in Gurugram, the machine is operated by supervisors, while the scavengers themselves take care of physical work such as removing the manhole cover, and disposing the silt collected from sewers. Activist and Safai Karamchari Andolan convener Bezwada Wilson has repeatedly underlined the importance of rehabilitation along with mechanisation.
For the time being, the workers are not too worried about job losses. Rahul, 21, who has been working in the profession for the last three years, says that these doubts have crossed his mind but the benefits outweigh such worries. “For the first time, I don’t have to go inside the sewer anymore and the machine grabs all the dirt inside,” he says. “And it can’t do all the work. Some human has to set it up first so that it works.”
FAQs
Manual scavenging is banned in India but the practice is still commonplace, with people forced into it because of rigid caste rules and the lack of other livelihood options. They are hired by local corporations and even private contractors to clean sewers and drains that are blocked because of mud and plastic.
What is the robot in IIT Madras septic tank? ›
The robotic solution, called hom*osep Atom, has already been deployed by civic bodies in 16 cities including Chennai, Madurai and Coimbatore where it replaces manual cleaning methods with robotic cleaning methods, using extensive blade cleanings, solid waste desilting, suction and storage by a single device.
How do robots help with cleaning? ›
The Benefits of Robotic Cleaning
And it improves it in three specific ways: Application - Whether it's a wet or dry scrubber, a vacuum machine or a multi discipline hybrid machine, a robot can clean thoroughly wherever it is needed, without additional tools or resources, carrying everything it needs onboard.
Does a cleaning robot exist? ›
Roomba is an autonomous vacuum and one of the most popular consumer robots in existence.
How many sewage workers died in India? ›
According to the data provided by the minister, 76 deaths occurred while cleaning septic tanks and sewers in 2018, 133 in 2019, 35 in 2020, 66 in 2021, 84 in 2022 and 49 in 2023.
What is the problem with sewage in India? ›
India has seen severe environmental consequences because of its quick urbanization & economic expansion, especially when it comes to wastewater treatment. A shocking National Average of 63% of India's sewage is dumped into the environment untreated, endangering both the nation's delicate ecosystems & public health.
Which bacteria eat up human waste in septic tank? ›
Aerobic bacteria need oxygen to survive.
It's this bacteria you will normally find in home septic tank systems. They are the most resistant against household waste and cleaners, as well as being the best at breaking down human solids. Anaerobic bacteria are normally used in larger-scale, underground systems.
What does Ghost Robotics do? ›
The company is building out small and medium-size robots with different capabilities. The robots could be used for safety inspections in manufacturing plants, airport security, mine inspections or safeguarding nuclear power plants. Ghost Robotics is currently working on adapting its robots for many of these use cases.
Which robot made by IIT Madras? ›
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras have developed a robot to clean septic tanks without human intervention. Named hom*oSEP, ten units are planned to be deployed across Tamil Nadu and the researchers are in touch with sanitation workers to identify the locations, officials said.
Do cleaning robots have cameras? ›
Robot vacuums have cameras for improved room mapping, navigation and obstacle detection, wherein beyond just detecting an obstruction ahead they can actively identify what the obstruction is in real time.
Artificial intelligence is at the heart of the transformative capabilities of modern domestic cleaning robots. AI algorithms have evolved to encompass machine learning, computer vision, and natural language processing, making these robots smarter, more versatile, and more adaptive to their environments.
Can robots replace cleaners? ›
Lack of Personal Touch. While robots can perform cleaning tasks efficiently, they lack the personal touch and attention to detail that human cleaners can provide. They cannot replace the care and attention that a human cleaner can bring to the job.
Can robots smell yet? ›
In a scientific first, a robot at Tel Aviv University has inherited another one of the five human senses—smell. The robot can smell through a biological sensor. The sensor sends electrical signals as a response to the presence of a nearby odor, which the robot can detect and interpret.
Which robot is used by Amazon? ›
DIGIT: The AMAZON Humanoid Arrival
Amazon is currently testing a humanoid robot called Digit, developed by Agility Robotics, for use in its warehouse operations.
Do robot humans exist? ›
Humanoid robots are no longer a thing of science fiction. Engineers have built machines that can mimic human movements and speech with remarkable precision.
How is sewage cleaned in India? ›
In large metropolitan cities, manual sewage cleaning is the only way to ensure timely disposal of human waste. Honey suckers or vacuum pumps in operation present a unique solution to the otherwise rampant problem.
How is sewage managed in India? ›
Among the pollution control measures undertaken under the NRCP are the installation of sewerage systems to capture and divert raw sewage entering rivers through open drains, as well as the construction of Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) to treat the diverted sewage.
Who is responsible for unblocking sewers? ›
Generally speaking, you're usually responsible for drains inside the boundaries of your property, while the sewerage company is responsible for lateral drains, which are usually outside of property boundaries, and sewers.
How many sewer cleaners are there in India? ›
“It's so dangerous, but there are no other opportunities for us in India.” The two men are among five million people in India known as “manual scavengers”, who clean and unblock the country's municipal sewage lines and private septic tanks in return for a pitiful 386 Indian rupees – around £4.10.
