People do many kinds of jobs for their survival, one of the job amoungst these is well cleaning and repairing. I found it pretty tough an risky. People who are involved in this job do not take adequate precautions and safety measures also during their jobs, due to their poor standard of living. At an average a worker gets approximately Rs.350.00 INR for cleaning a well. These people work in a group, and every person plays a responsible role.

The procedure starts with cleaning the base of the well. One person enters the well and the other one assists him from the surface of the well. The person who enters the well takes out soil and garbage’s from the well, for which he has to stay long hours in the well in the water. He plunges into the water many times taking deep breathes, collecting soil and garbage’s under water. He brings out soil and garbage’s every time in a bucket to the water level. Now the second persons’ job starts; apart from holding him from the top of the well with rope, now he pulls up the bucket to the surface filled with soil and garbage’s. The second guy empties the bucket and sends it back into the well. The second guy keeps holding the rope with one leg till he empties the bucket.

After cleaning the well the first guy comes out of the well and the second guy enters the well for repairing. He seals all the cracks and joints with cement. And thus finishing the work.

The risk factors in this job are, if some thing falls from the top of the well may kill the person inside the well, or end up with serious injuries. If the person inside the well slips while going inside or coming outside the well, may get serious injuries or may die also.

So I think, we must respect those people who risk their life’s in their jobs, as we are the people who gets benefited from the job.

Being human we offer water and some thing to eat and drink and some times used clothes also, apart from their remuneration when they finish their job. In that ways they also become happy and serve in a better manner next time.

Few are some pictures of well cleaning :

Author : Debashish Ray, Jalpaiguri, W.B., Bharat.