On October 4, 2025, a sanitation worker in Kolathur, Chennai, lost his life after inhaling toxic fumes while cleaning a sewer, and two others were hospitalized.
According to a Times of India report, The deceased was identified as K. Kuppan (37), assisted by T. Sankar (40) and supervisor S. Hariharan (28). The trio entered the drain at Thirupathi Nagar, First Main Road, Third Cross Street around 2:30 p.m., and Kuppan collapsed on inhaling poisonous gas. Sankar and Hariharan attempted a rescue but also lost consciousness. They were rushed to Periyar Nagar Hospital; Kuppan was declared dead there, and his body later transferred to Stanley Hospital for postmortem.
BJP spokesperson ANS Prasad criticized the DMK government over its unfulfilled election promise to eradicate manual scavenging via modern technology, demanding disclosure of sanitation worker fatalities over the past five years.
Meanwhile, the Metrowater Managing Director stated that such sewer work is supposed to be conducted under its supervision, and insisted that Kuppan had entered the drain without authorization.
Just weeks earlier, on September 22, 2025, two contract workers — Prabhu (32) and A. Ravi (38) — died of suspected asphyxiation in Trichy while cleaning an underground drainage (UGD) chamber. Prabhu collapsed first, and Ravi lost consciousness while attempting to rescue him. The workers were engaged under the Phase II UGD project, linking households to a 37 MLD sewage treatment plant. Local authorities suspect the release of toxic gases when rainwater mixed with stagnant sewage after a “dummy block” was removed. A First Information Report (FIR) has been registered under negligence charges.
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