Top Dhaka Wasa officials would not take the responsibility for injuries, deaths and accidents that occur during cleaning of sewer drains as the job is done by contractors.

“As the hiring authority, Dhaka Wasa has no liability for public safety or deaths during such work,” Taqsem A Khan, managing director of Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority, told The Daily Star yesterday.

“The contractor has to ensure that all the safety measures are in place,” he added.

He asked this correspondent to talk to the Wasa superintending engineer for details on the Wasa's drainage system.   

His comments came a day after Shanu Miah of Brahmanbaria's Kasba upazila died falling into an open manhole of a box culvert in the city's Paltan area.

Meanwhile, the High Court yesterday summoned the Wasa MD and the chief executive officer of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) to appear before it on March 19 to explain their roles in the death of Shanu Miah.

A DAY TOO LATE FOR ONE … Dhaka Wasa put a fence, around a large manhole in Bijoy Nagar in the capital early yesterday after a man, Shanu Mia, fell in it and died on Monday night. Photo: Photo: Rashed Shumon/Amran Hossain

Ruhul Amin, Wasa superintending engineer for water supply and sewerage, said the Wasa must not be held responsible for these type of deaths. “Such deaths might just be a result of carelessness of pedestrians or negligence on the part of contractors.”

“While carrying out such work, we ensure that all the safety measures are in place,” he told The Daily Star.

Nurul Islam, Wasa superintending engineer for drainage, said the victim fell into the manhole being frightened by the honking of a vehicle.

“Though the contractor is supposed to take all safety measures, the Wasa is also responsible for ensuring public safety…. Our managing director can give you a better answer in this regard.”     

Asked about the contractor tasked with the cleaning job and the length of the box culvert in Paltan, the Wasa official said he could not respond as he was “busy”. He then hung up the phone.   

The Wasa MD said based on the findings of an investigation into the Monday's incident, the contractor's contract might be cancelled, its payment might be withheld or it might be blacklisted.

The death of Shanu Miah would be dealt with as per law, added Taqsem A Khan.

According to Accident Research Institute (ARI) of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, uncovered drains were a major cause of accidents in the capital.

ARI Director Prof Moazzem Hossain said strong guardrails should be erected around open manholes and “danger” and “work zone” signs must be put up at the box culvert cleaning sites. “The death of Shanu Miah reveals the absence of Wasa's supervision on safety measures. It's like keeping a death trap for people,” he said.

Manholes in city roads are often kept open with the excuse of cleaning sewer drains, development and maintenance work, which pose a serious threat to public safety.    

Nurjahan, 4, died after falling into a manhole at Shahidnagar in the capital's Lalbagh on October 13, 2004. Two brothers suffered tragic deaths as they drowned in a sewer drain in the city's Arambagh in June that year.

In December 2014, three-year-old Jihad died after falling into a 600-foot deep shaft at Bangladesh Railway Colony in Shahjahanpur.

A Dhaka court on February 26 this year jailed four people, including three railway engineers, for 10 years each in this connection.

Ismail Hossain Nirob, 4, fell into an open manhole in the city's Kadamtoli and died on December 8, 2015.

TOP OFFICIALS SUMMONED

The Dhaka Wasa MD and the DSCC chief executive officer will have to appear before the HC bench of Justice Quazi Reza-Ul Hoque and Justice Mohammad Ullah, Deputy Attorney General Tapas Kumar Biswas told The Daily Star.

The court also issued a rule asking the authorities concerned to explain in four weeks why they should not be held responsible for Shanu's death. It also asked them to show cause why keeping the manhole unprotected should not be declared as their negligence; why legal actions should not be taken against them and why they should not be directed to compensate the victim's family.

The LGRD secretary, Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner, Wasa executive engineer for drainage and sewerage in Paltan and the OC of Paltan Police Station were made the other respondents to the rule.

The HC bench came up with the rule upon a suo moto (on its own) move following a report run by daily Prothom Alo.

In another development, police yesterday filed a case with Paltan Police Station against some unnamed people on charges of neglecting their duties that caused Shanu's death, said Rafiqul Islam, officer-in-charge of the police station.