Sanitation Worker Interviews: Alleppey, Kerala 2022-2023

A crucial step in addressing marginality within the sanitation chain, particularly in non-sewered small towns, is to recognize and respond to the concerns of sanitation workers who sustain these systems but remain largely invisible, unacknowledged, and exposed to unsafe working conditions. Most sanitation labourers belong to socially and economically marginalized groups, often from lower castes or religious minorities, and their work is precarious, hazardous, and characterized by uncertainty. Against this backdrop, this study examines the living and working conditions of sanitation workers in the ecologically fragile coastal town of Alleppey, India. It situates sanitation labour within broader sociological and developmental frameworks of urban informality, marginality, and illegality, exploring how sanitation practices have evolved in Alleppey from 1947 to 2021, how different groups of sanitation workers experience marginality, and how they exercise agency through labour rights and collective action.

Using a qualitative case study approach, the research includes three groups: semi-formal Haritha Karma Sena workers (solid waste management), formal municipal sanitation workers, and informal fecal sludge management (FSM) workers. The findings highlight the interconnections between marginality, informality, and legality, showing that these dimensions collectively shape the lived realities of sanitation workers. The degree of agency varies along the formal–informal continuum, with marginality intensifying where agency is limited. The concept of illegality further illuminates the exploitative structures and systemic exclusions embedded in informal sanitation work.