Bengaluru: For the past two days, Madhu (name changed) has barely moved from the entrance of the sewage treatment plant (STP) in Balagere under Bengaluru East City Corporation. Having rushed to Bengaluru from Bihar after learning about the accident, the wife of missing worker Akhilesh, 30, continues to wait amid the constant movement of rescue personnel, police officers, and civic officials, hoping the ongoing operation will finally bring her husband home.Akhilesh, a native of Bihar, is the father of four children. He was among two workers who fell into a sewage treatment facility operated by Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) Thursday evening around 6pm.According to the site manager, the other worker involved in the incident, Akilan, 29, a native of Tamil Nadu, was a mechanical supervisor and had been working there for the past four years. Akhilesh, who worked as a helper, joined the facility nearly three years ago.In a breakthrough early Saturday around 3am, rescue teams recovered Akilan’s body after nearly two days of search operations. The body was shifted to the mortuary for autopsy.The rescue effort has proven particularly challenging because of the complex network of pipelines connected to the treatment plant. Officials said the pipelines contain large amounts of silt, sludge, plastic waste, and other debris. Heavy machinery such as cranes and excavators cannot be directly deployed inside the narrow pipeline network, forcing teams to make multiple openings and cuts at various points to insert equipment and manually inspect them.They were about to end their shift: Site managerAccording to the site manager of Balagere STP, around 30 people, including security personnel, work at the plant. Akilan and Akhilesh were part of the general shift of 9am to 6pm. “Towards the end of their shift, they went to check the tank gate, and it appears they slipped from the ladder. One person seems to have tried rescuing the other, and both fell in. We always insist on safety measures inside the plant, including safety jackets and other protective equipment,” the site manager said.Treated sewage water from the plant is supplied to Kolar for minor irrigation purposes.More than 48 hours after the accident, the rescue operation continued Saturday. While one family prepared for a final goodbye, another waited anxiously for the chance to bring their loved one home.
