Failure to meet Bureau of Indian Standards norms led to Kozhikode mishap

Kochi: The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has laid down elaborate procedures for workers to enter sewer manholes to clear them, including protective gear and equipment, but the victims who died in Kozhikode on Thursday had none of them, it is learnt.

As per the BIS norms, the air in the manhole must be tested for noxious gases and oxygen deficiency before workmen enter them.

In case of scum formation, the water and sediments in the manhole should be agitated for trapped gases and the manhole should be checked for noxious gases and oxygen deficiencies. It also specifies the standard code of practice for safety precautions to be taken for the workers while entering the sewer system.

The law also specifies a candle test for hazardous gasses where in the flame would go out in case of low oxygen level.

"The exact gas/gasses responsible for workers' death can only be determined after field tests," said Dr S. Bhuvaneshwari, assistant professor in the chemical engineering department of National Institute of Technology, Kozhikode. "Gasses like hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, methane, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides are the usual culprits."

The man who died for others

At a time when the apathetic attitude of people is being widely discussed, Methakudy Noushad’s sacrifice in a drain in Kozhikode on Thursday paints a heartwarming but tragic picture.

The 32-year auto rickshaw driver from Karuvisshery near Maalikadavu here was having tea in the Jaya hotel when he heard the screams of two labourers stuck inside the drain.

Methakudy Noushad

Noushad rushed to the spot and apparently spotted the labourers through the manhole. He then crawled through the manhole and got into the drain to rescue them not thinking about the lack of air inside the clogged drain which carries water up to a man’s height.

Eyewitnesses told media persons that one labourer got hold of Noushad’s leg and he soon fell into the drain and could not be spotted. When the fire brigade and police arrived on the spot, they were able to retrieve the bodies of the two labourers.

It was half-an-hour later that Noushad was found. He was rushed to the Kozhikode Medical College hospital but was declared dead. “He was one of the rare people who used to help all those in need unmindful of his own safety,” recalled Rafeek, a neighbour of Noushad.

Noushad was the sole breadwinner of the family from the age of 15 as his father abandoned the family. He was in the Gulf as a taxi driver and it was only a year ago that he returned to Kozhikode and became an auto driver. He is survived by wife Safreena and mother Asma Beevi.    

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