SHAH ALAM, March 13 — With a crowbar in hand, a worker slowly lifts the cover of a roadside drain.
As soon it is opened, a strong stench from black water mixed with sludge and food waste immediately hits the nose.
For most, such a situation might be enough to make them step away. However, for sanitation workers, they have long grown accustomed to this routine.
That is the reality faced by Muhammad Izzah Md Kamal, 38, who works as a driver and as a drain cleaning worker.
He admitted that the real challenge begins when they encounter drains that have long been clogged and filled with sludge and food waste.
The situation becomes even more difficult especially in areas with food outlets where drains are filled with hardened grease and oil residue, making the cleaning process more difficult.
“Sometimes the drains have been clogged for years. When we open the drain cover, the smell that comes out is very strong and inside it is full of grease and food waste that has accumulated for a long time.
“The work really requires strength and patience because we need to clean it bit by bit until the water flow becomes smooth again,” Izzah said.
He was speaking to Media Selangor during the Ramadan appreciation event with cleaning sector workers organised by Yayasan Amal Persatuan Alumni Sekolah Alam Shah (ASAS), in collaboration with KDEB Waste Management through its subsidiary KDEB ICI Sdn Bhd in Shah Alam yesterday.
The event is an annual programme by Yayasan Amal ASAS held across Selangor during every Ramadan since 2022.
Dirty, risky and challenging work
Meanwhile, refuse collection lorry driver Muhamad Sharul Sapari, 39, said jobs in the waste management sector are among the more challenging fields as workers are exposed to various risks every day.
“Work in this sector is indeed challenging because we deal with various types of waste every day. The unpleasant smell has become part of our routine.
“In addition, we must always be careful as the risk of accidents can occur, especially when the lorry stops by the roadside to collect rubbish,” he said.
Sharul added that the waste management sector is often associated with 3D jobs: dirty, dangerous, and difficult, which not everyone is willing to do.
Challenges in residential areas
For Mohd Ashri Nor, 62, who has long been driving a refuse collection lorry, the main challenges often come from the conditions in residential areas.
He said that vehicles parked too closely along the roadside often make it difficult for lorries to enter and collect rubbish.
“Sometimes cars are parked too closely along the roadside, so the lorry has difficulty getting in. We have to be careful and it takes longer to collect rubbish in those areas,” Ashri said.
Despite facing various challenges every day, they continue to carry out their duties without much complaint.
For these workers, the real satisfaction is not merely completing the day’s work, but seeing an area that was once dirty return to being clean.
Because behind comfortable cities and clean surroundings, there are individuals working quietly to ensure cleanliness is maintained.
