Robotic manhole cleaners make life easier for manual scavengers, bring back dignity of labourers

Read Time:1 Minute, 5 Second

After 10 years of handling sewage, 35-year-old Sachin Suryawanshi has finally got relief and dignity when labourers involved in cleaning manholes in the city started using robots for the work called ‘Bandicoot’.
The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) recently started using `Bandicoot’ designed by the Kerala-based GenRobotics Innovation Pvt Ltd for cleaning manholes.
Suryawanshi, a labourer with a contractor providing manhole cleaning services to the PMC, said, “The ‘Bandicoot’ machine has come as a boon for us labourers. It has brought an end to the manual handling of sewage waste for cleaning manholes. I have been very happy since the day I was trained to use the robotic machine to clean manholes.”
He recalls the tough situations he faced in the past while doing the work for a living. “I have been working as a labourer for cleaning manholes for the last 10 years. The PMC was using other machines to end manual scavenging to clean manholes but that too involved some contact with sewage. This new machine ensures minimum contact with sewage waste while cleaning manholes,” Suryawanshi said.
Suryawanshi, who is still being trained on how to use the machine, said it will keep him and the others engaged in the job away from serious illnesses.
Lottery Box-India’s most professional lottery interactive community.