SWaCH waste pickers to stop work by noon as heatwave intensifies

SWaCH's data shows waste pickers typically complete door-to-door collection by 10:30 to 11am. (Express File photo)Written by Dhaani SarwateSWaCH waste pickers across Pune will cease outdoor work by 12pm daily, following Maharashtra’s heatwave directive. Data collected by SWaCH revealed that out of Pune’s 1,018 waste feeder points, 37 percent receive municipal collection vehicles late, and 10 percent receive no vehicles at all. This leaves workers, mostly women, stranded in temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius. The Maharashtra government’s heatwave SOP mandates a halt to outdoor work between 12 noon and 4pm for informal workers in sanitation and waste management. SWaCH’s data shows waste pickers typically complete door-to-door collection by 10:30 to 11am. They then have to wait at feeder points until vehicles arrive in the afternoon. Feeder points are designated handover locations where collected waste is transferred to municipal vehicles. Neha Pawar, a SWaCH waste picker from the Dhole Patil road area, said, “We finish our work by 10:30–11 am, but the vehicles only arrive at 2–3 pm. Till they come, we have no option but to wait in the sun. There is no access to shade, clean water, or toilets either. We suffer twice over, once from the heat, and again from being blamed for the city being unclean.” Residents can expect changes to collection timings. Doorstep collection will continue every morning, but pickup from feeder points may shift to later in the afternoon due to vehicle availability and processing constraints in the city’s secondary collection chain. SWaCH has appealed to citizens to offer waste pickers a glass of water, toilet access, and a place to sit in the shade when they encounter them at their door or waiting in their area.