Man dies while cleaning Delhi Jal Board sewer in New Friends Colony

NEW DELHI: A 43-year-old man, Panth Lal Chander, died and another is in critical condition in hospital after three workers, who went inside a manhole while engaged in Delhi Jal Board work in southeast Delhi's New Friends Colony on Sunday, got asphyxiated, police said, reports Devanshi Mehta.
Delhi Fire Services received a call at 5.35pm and a fire tender was dispatched. While one worker was rescued by locals, firefighters arrived at the location and after approximately 30 minutes of efforts, extracted two others from the sewer who were transferred to hospital for treatment.
Upon receiving the call, the investigating officer arrived at the scene and discovered that the victims had already been shifted to AIIMS Trauma Centre by the PCR where Panth Lal Chander (43) was declared dead and another worker, Ramkishan Chander (35), remains unconscious and in critical condition. The third worker who went inside, Shiv Das, was rescued safely," DCP (southeast) Ravi Kumar Singh said.
The incident first came to light around 4pm when a child's cries near the manhole alerted nearby residents. Mahendra (29), who was nearby, said, "I was in the area for work when I saw a large crowd gathered around a manhole, with a child screaming for help. Locals had already called police and Delhi Fire Services, who were on their way. The scene was chaotic, and when I enquired, I learned what had happened. The hole was at least 12 feet deep, so no one dared to enter, waiting instead for emergency responders to arrive."
Shiv Das told TOI, "Ramkishan and I were the first to go down to cut a sewer pipe inside the manhole. Initially, everything seemed fine, but the moment we cut the pipe, toxic fumes filled the air, and we started choking. Ramkishan was the first to faint. I called for help, and that's when Panth came down. The gases were too much for him - he collapsed instantly, falling from a height."
"I panicked and screamed for help, telling Aman, Panth's 10-year-old son, to get assistance. At that moment, I was still conscious. The next thing I remember is being pulled out by people - I barely recall anything; it's all a blur," Das said.
Police have registered a case under Section 105 (punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of BNS and Sections 7 (prohibition of persons from engagement or employment for hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks) and 9 (Penalty for contravention of section 7) of the Manual Scavenging Act as investigation continues.
DJB didn't respond to queries on the matter.
Before this, on Feb 21, two sanitation workers died and another was injured while cleaning a sewage tank in the Narela area.