A few hours earlier, the Jyatha sub-committee of Thamel Tourism Council (TSC) had called a group of local sewage cleaners to clean a badly-blocked sewer drain. When they failed to clear the blocked drain, a water jet drain cleaner, which uses force of water to flush out filth that causes blockade, was called in. However, even water jet drain cleaner operators failed to clear the drain.[break]
It was then that the Jyatha sub-committee, left with no other options, called Krishna Ghimire, 40, a resident of Ikudole VDC-9 in Lalitpur district. Known as Super Jet for his fast and daring drain cleaning work in Thamel, Ghimire slid into the drain without any hesitation and cleared the blockage with just his bare hands.
“We called him as even the water jet cleaner failed to deliver the service,” said Saru Dangal, 28, secretary of the Jyatha sub-committee of the TSC.
According to Dangal, Ghimire´s service is expensive compared to the water jet, but he is much more reliable. He is serious about his work and makes sure the job is done properly.
When asked whether he was safe without proper gear, Ghimire said, “I was accidentally injured while working with the gear a couple of years back." According to him, the accident was so serious that it took him three months to recover from the injury. And he has not used the gear ever since. He said that the gear, particularly the boots, limits his movement and with the gloves on he cannot segregate broken bottles from other unharmful objects. So the danger of meeting an accident was very high wearing the gear.
Ghimire is paid Rs 1,000 for one-time service. Currently, he is working on twenty-six chambers. It is going to take him ten days at most to clear the blockade. When asked why he was working alone, he said “Others pass more time talking than actually working.”
Responding to the question about his monthly earning he said, “I make thirty- thousand rupees per month, sometimes even more.”
Father of two sons, Ghimire had tried to find a permanent job but failed in the pursuit. “You need right connection for such jobs and I have none,” he said, smiling. He said that he does not look at his job as something lowly, for it has provided well for his family, including English school education to his sons.
He has been working in the field for the last 24 years. He started off as a house plumber and then tried his hands in this job, for the work offered better pay.
“He has accomplished jobs even professional sewage cleaners hesitate to do,” said Krishna Bhakta Shrestha, 42, a local of Thamel, Kathmandu.
“Though a Chhetri by caste, he does not let his caste sentiments interfere with his work,” said Shyam Krishna Koirala, 32, owner of a garment shop.
“He is an example that you don´t have to go abroad to earn enough for your family and kids´ education,” said Bhola Prasad Khanal, 61, an antique gallery owner at Thamel.
Related story
Value of US dollar suffers decline
_20240311121839.jpg)
