MUMBAI: A 26-year-old contract labourer lost his life after being exposed to toxic fumes and a strong gush of water while cleaning a deep sewer line in Goregaon in the early hours of Tuesday.
The deceased, Shamim Razak Gazi, was engaged on a contractual basis for drain-cleaning work by the sewerage operations department of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The incident occurred around dawn at a manhole near Gate No 2 of Mega Mall, close to the Goregaon pumping station, beneath the metro lines.
Gazi had entered a manhole about 25 feet deep along with a co-worker, Shaheen Noor Islam, 36, to remove a blockage. According to officials from the disaster management control room, Gazi is believed to have died after inhaling toxic fumes and being overwhelmed by a sudden surge of water flowing through the drain.
Islam, however, survived after being rescued in time by the Mumbai Fire Brigade. He was pulled out of the manhole and rushed to the Hinduhridaysamrat Bal Thackeray Trauma Care Hospital in Jogeshwari, where he is undergoing treatment.
The BMC maintained that basic safety protocols were followed before the workers were sent into the manhole. Civic officials claimed that temperature and oxygen levels inside the drain had been checked and that the workers were provided with protective gear.
However, police officials who reached the site shortly after the incident said the situation turned dangerous unexpectedly once the blockage was disturbed. “An unprecedented gush of toxic fumes and a strong flow of water was released when the obstruction was removed. The worker was caught off guard and was overwhelmed by the fumes and water,” a police officer said.
Coincidentally, a police patrol team was in the vicinity and rushed to help after being alerted. Realising that the manhole was too deep and hazardous for them to enter, they immediately called the fire brigade. Firefighters descended into the manhole using ladders, but the force of the water was so strong that the BMC had to temporarily stop the flow in the drain to facilitate the rescue.
Islam was retrieved first and shifted to hospital. Gazi’s body was recovered nearly two hours later and taken to hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival.
Mohammed Imran Shaikh, the contractor assigned the work through Gypson Company, said Gazi had been working with him for barely a month. He added that he was not aware of the worker’s family details. Police said no formal complaint has been registered so far as no family member or associate has come forward to lodge one.
A post-mortem was conducted at Siddharth Hospital in Goregaon West on Tuesday. Gazi’s body was later handed over to a relative from his native village, Amodia in West Bengal’s 24 Parganas district, where his last rites will be performed. The relative was reportedly unwilling to file a complaint.
An officer from Oshiwara police station said the case would be investigated suo motu. “If we find any lapses or negligence, we will register an offence on our own,” the officer said.
Gazi had been living with relatives from his village at Raey Road in Mumbai.
Criticism has mounted over the continued practice of sending workers into sewers despite the availability of mechanised alternatives. A former civic official associated with the sewerage operations department said BMC’s permanent staff are not assigned such hazardous tasks. “Private contractors often deploy manual labour to cut costs, even though suction trucks are easily available on hire and can safely handle such work,” the official said.
Trade unions echoed similar concerns. Maharashtra Municipal Kamgar Union general secretary Milind Ranade said the BMC was responsible for ensuring worker safety and compensation, regardless of contractual status. “These workers are among the most vulnerable and are often pushed into life-threatening conditions. Primitive and unscientific methods continue to be used, while accountability is routinely avoided,” he said.