26 June 2003

Suez – Degremont Kills Indian Workers

On 25th June 2003, five people including one engineer died at the Rithala Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) in Delhi, which is managed by Suez-Degremont.

“This is the fourth incident in six months, killing the total of eleven persons at the sewage plant. Workers at the site are not provided with even the basic safety gears. There are no gloves, workers are never given gas masks or oxygen cylinders, they have just rope “ said Sanjay Sharma Union leader of Delhi Jal Board.

The Rithala plant treats 80 million gallons per day (MGD) of sewage. Half of the sewage is managed by D.J.B. and the other half by Degremont. The plant was inaugurated in October 2002. The incident occurred in the part, of the sewage plant, which is managed by Suez-Degremont.

Multinationals like Suez-Degremont are maximizing profits by cutting down costs and building poor infrastructure with no compliance to safety norms. As a result workers are paying through their lives.

The harmful gases and chemicals such as Hydrogen Sulphide and Carbon monoxide found in the Sewage Treatment Plant kills in minutes. Methane is a deadly explosive. Arsenic Nickel; and Chromium are carcinogens. According to Sanjay Sharma, ‘Canister-type gas masks provided by Degremont were unsafe for the kind of task, which workers did. The canister mask has a filter, which absorbs harmful gas, but they become ineffective after 20 minutes.

There are ten major corporate companies now privatizing sanitation fresh water services for profit. Between them, the three biggest Suez and Vivendi of France and RWE-AG of Germany are among the top 100 corporations in the world together their annual revenue in 2001 was almost $ 160 billion and growing at ten percent a year – out placing the economies of many of the countries in which they operate. RWE, which moved into the world market with its acquisition of Britain’s Thames water increased its water revenue by a whopping 9786 percent in ten years.

While there are profits gains, safety disappears. While they are forced to adhere to the strict safety standards in the countries of their origin, USA or Europe, these profit thirsty companies totally ignore even the minimum safety norms in developing countries like India. Corporate profits derived from privatization of water and sanitation is literally killing the people.

The Same Suez-Degremont which has killed Indian workers is involved in privatization of Ganga Water. It has been given the contract to build the pipeline to supply water from Upper Ganga Canal near Murad Nagar in Ghaziabad, (U.P) to Sonia Vihar in Delhi. With such a poor record of safety and maintenance, the Suez-Degremont Sonia Vihar Water Plant has no legitimacy or justification.

We demand that Delhi Government should immediately cancel the contract given to Suez-Degremont for Sonia Vihar Water Plant. Government should also cancel the contract of Rithala STP where 5 workers were killed on 25th June 2003 and criminal complaint should be filed against Suez-Degremont officials responsible for the death of the innocent workers.

For further information contact

Jal Sweraj Abhiyan
Research Foundation for Science Technology & Ecology
A-60 Hauz Khas, New Delhi – 110 016
Ph: 26561868. 26562093