Version imprimableSafai Karmchari Andolan
Press Release
New Delhi. 19th November 2024
The Safai Karmacharis are made to risk life under the ground in sewer lines and septic tanks to toxic gases and asphyxiation. Now, with the current dangerous air pollution levels, their lives are at risk above the ground also. The AQI and the toxic levels of the air pollution are far above any safety standards and is nothing short of a medical emergency. An AQI above 400 is hazardous, impacting even healthy individuals and posing serious risks to those with existing health condition. Safai Karmacharis have preexisting vulnerable respiratory and gastro-intestinal health conditions due to their constant exposure to dirt and faeces. Now, this exposure to such extreme toxic levels of air is a serious risk to life. The large number of women safai Karmacharis who are menstruating, pregnant, lactating, anaemic and menopausal, are risking life and health while they work in the open.
The Air pollution in Delhi has breached dangerous levels with AQI above the
