Sanitation workers face flagrant discrimination and criminal negligence, not only from the government but also from society. Reports claim that almost 30 sanitation workers die every year while performing their work. In Karachi alone, four sanitation workers have reportedly died this year. The deaths have once again raised questions about the safety of sanitation workers, who are often sent into manholes without adequate protection, leaving them exposed to toxic fumes and other life-threatening conditions.

The Rise News documented a video report on the case of sanitation workers who died on April 17, 2026. Three sanitation workers from the same family died. Their names were Waqas, Nazeer, and Wilson. All three of the deceased were from the Christian community. The Rise News met the victims’ family and spoke to Waqas’s mother, Maria Maseeh, and Shamim Nazeer, whose husband, Nazeer, and son, Wilson, along with her grandson, Waqas, lost their lives while cleaning a manhole. Their cause of death was reportedly the inhalation of toxic fumes.

Maria Maseeh said that her son, Waqas, was a helping hand for her family. In a video interview, she said through tears, “I pray that no son should be taken away from his mother.”

Javed Maseeh, who is also a sanitation worker, spoke to The Rise News and questioned whether sanitation workers are not human. In a video interview, he shared one of his experiences of discrimination. He said that a chawal shop owner refused to give him tea in a cup. Instead, the shop owner gave him tea in a broken cup, which Javed refused to take. He asked for takeaway tea. “His workfellow said to him, ‘What kind of fate is this, that even a tea shop owner refuses to give him tea in a proper cup?’” Javed said.

Naeem Sadiq, an Occupational Health and Safety professional, criticized the government and held it responsible for the worsening condition of sanitation workers. He said, “We are sending the sanitation workers to the death holes.” In almost six months of this year, 20 sanitation workers have died across Pakistan. He demanded that the government learn from an Indian court decision to assist sanitation workers, regardless of whether a sanitation worker is employed privately or by the government. If a sanitation worker dies, he said, it is the responsibility of the government because the manhole is not private; it comes under the government.

Shamim Nazeer said that the government has not fulfilled its promise yet. Despite approaching the government many times, she said, it was to no avail. She has stopped approaching them because she cannot afford to take time off from her private job.