By the time the rush begins, they are almost invisible again, their labour disappeared into the background of everyday life. But without them, the city would be in distress due to environmental stress and contamination anxiety.

Waste is a constant in state capitals and populated cities like Lagos. From household refuse to market remains that always litter the streets, the number of wastes generated each day is usually massive. Managing the piles of waste requires more than arrangements and procedures, it requires people willing to do the dirty, hard, and often overlooked works.

For sanitation workers, the job is physically demanding, with hours stretching long, sometimes beginning before sunrise and ending under the harsh afternoon sun. Even as they are equipped with basic tools, including brooms, shovels, and carts, they go through busy roads, blocked drainage system, and overflowing bins.

Aside from the physical toll, there is endurance that is noteworthy. Many of these workers work under difficult conditions, low pay, and limited access to proper protective kits. Gloves wear out, you would even see some reusing masks. For some, boots are sometimes a luxury, but they still show up every day, because of the drive and need to earn a living and keep the city moving.

Urban life depends on a delicate balance, and sanitation workers are central to maintaining it. When left unattended, the consequences are fast and severe; there are blocked drainage systems, polluted air, and the spread of diseases such as cholera. Basically, they are the people who work to hold everything together.

Every cleared gutter reduces the risk of flooding, every collected bag of refuse prevents contamination, and every street swept contributes to public health and safety.

Their work may look like a routine, but its impact is deep and often taken for granted.

For these people who contribute immensely to the task of keeping the society sane, risk is part of the job, as there is a thin line between duty and danger in this line of work. For sanitation workers, each day brings exposure to dangers that many others never have to consider, including sharp objects hidden in waste, toxic substances, rotting materials, among other dangers that need to be handled with little more than basic protection.

Read Also: Rising Cost of Fuel in Nigeria: A Burden Too Heavy for Citizens

Talking about health, health risks are constant because respiratory issues from dust and smokes, skin infections from contaminated waste, and injuries from hazardous materials are common realities. In cases where access to healthcare or insurance is limited, as is mostly the case with Nigeria, workers are left to bear the burden of their own safety. This is a quiet form of sacrifice, one that rarely makes the headlines.

Maybe the most difficult challenge sanitation workers face is not the labour itself, but the lack of recognition. Their work is often seen as lowly, their presence overlooked, and their contribution undervalued. There is a social distance that separates them from the very people they serve.

However, moments of crisis, disease outbreaks, flooding, environmental emergencies, temporarily change this perception. Suddenly, their role becomes visible, even important. But when normalcy returns, the silence also returns, making the recognition seem temporary.

The society, especially urban areas need to rethink when it comes to value and dignity of these people. If cities are to grow sustainably, the people who keep them clean must not be left behind. Improving the conditions of sanitation workers is a necessity, not just a matter of what is fair.

Also, better wages, proper protective equipment, access to healthcare, and safer working environments are critical steps to making these silent heroes feel seen.

Equally important is a change in public attitude. People must understand and acknowledge that there is as much dignity in sitting behind large desks and signing files, as there is in cleaning the streets and keeping everyone safe.

As the city wakes each day, clean streets and smooth drainage system are often seen as certain, but behind that routine are individuals whose efforts make it possible. They are fathers, mothers, breadwinners, people whose labour sustains millions, even as they remain mostly unseen.

To walk through a clean street and to breathe fresh air in a crowded environment means that we can see their work and we benefit from their effort.

Their presence may be quiet, but their impact is undeniable. They are not just sanitation workers, they are the silent heroes of urban survival, and I celebrate them.

The post Sanitation Workers as Silent Heroes of Urban Survival appeared first on Afinju FM.