Five students of Shiv Nadar School, Noida have developed a technologically advanced sewer cleaner as an alternative solution to manual scavenging. Sewage Squad is formed by class 11 students Ansh Gupta, Sarthak Acharya, Palak Yadav, Bahar Dhingra and Anvi Kothari.
According to the students, they have integrated a user-based interface that consists of a small LCD screen and a button layout at the top for users to operate. It extends into a pipe-like structure that can be drained into the sewer. The LCD screen then shows the camera’s view and helps in monitoring the sludge and its cleanliness.
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Students say it also has a gas detection mechanism that informs the user about the presence of toxic gases such as ammonia, carbon monoxide, methane and hydrogen sulfide in the sewer, to ensure proper safety.
The button layout is used for the rotational movement of cylindrically connected metal blades, and a suction pump is used to remove the sewage. The product also includes a built-in audio system that provides guidance in Hindi for sanitation workers.
The idea of creating technology came to him while he was brainstorming to identify a social problem for his school’s annual capstone project that is an integral part of our IT curriculum. They are working on this project since March 2020. The students claim that they have built a miniature prototype of the product and are working towards an industrial-grade version of it.
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“While sewage sanitation is a huge issue in the country, the problem of manual scavenging has a socio-economic context. The practice was banned in our country decades ago, but the fact that our government had to amend the Prohibition of Employment of Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act last year, mandating mechanized sewer cleaning shows that the problem is still there. also remains. In the last five years, there have been around 340 deaths due to manual cleaning of sewers and septic tanks,” explains the student.
Talking about the future plans of the product, the students say, “We are looking at local implementation after finalizing an industrial-grade version with the help of the local municipality and water board. We want to join hands with some NGOs to see how we can take this product to the sanitation workers and help them improve their working conditions without threatening their livelihood.”
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