Death traps and pirates
Saturday, 24 January 2015
It is a regular item in the media that cleaners or scavengers are trapped in manholes while clearing underground sewerage line or water reservoir and die of harmful gas deposited there. In these days of technology and science it is not difficult to discover the presence of harmful gas somewhere. Trapped people die while shouting for help, but unfortunately the authorities are helpless, as they do not possess life saving kits or techniques to rescue them. The LGRD ministry or WASA or DCC cannot escape their responsibility.
Persons living around the Sundarbans on coastal areas are often abducted by pirates and killed or thrown into the rivers, if their demand for ransom is not met. It is sad that we cannot protect our compatriots from disasters that happen regularly. We should be better equipped to save the scavengers from dying in manholes and the pedestrians from falling into bare manholes and breaking their legs or coastal people from being abducted.
Mahmud Ali
138 New Eskaton Road
Dhaka-1000