GLI UOMINI DELLA FOGNA: il lavoro più duro al mondo 🇵🇰

It hurts me to think about my husband's job and what he has to do. The kids and I are always worried until he gets back because it's an extremely dangerous job. Almost everyone he's checking now is small and.

. . and not blocked.

I have no other choice, I am forced to do this dirty job. Go, go. Go down.

It's impossible to describe the stench coming out of this manhole. It's inhumane, it's full. Clearly, there is human feces mixed with garbage.

He's almost fully submerged up to his chin, I'm also worried about him because it doesn't seem like an easy situation. I smell gas inside, I can't breathe well. I don't like this situation.

My name is Giuseppe and I have a mission, to travel the world to meet the most extraordinary people on the planet and ask them a simple question: What is happiness for you? Welcome to the "PROGETTO HAPPINESS. " We have just entered one of the toughest slums in all of Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan.

Because right here, we want to document the hardest job in the world and I warn you, this will be a very tough episode, very difficult to watch as well. So try to stay with me until the end because it will be a truly extraordinary story. In Islamabad, there are about 40 slums like this, where more than 100,000 people live.

Imagine the conditions they live in. There's no drinkable water, the sanitary conditions are very complex. But the most serious problem is here.

Here, beneath the sewers, the sewers fill with wastewater which are difficult to manage and dispose of. And especially during this period, during the monsoon season, they overflow and flood the entire slum, the whole area. But there are people, workers, who sacrifice themselves for the whole community to clear these blockages, by immersing themselves directly into the sewers.

These people are called the "Sewer Men. " We are going to meet them to understand what happiness means to them, how can someone doing the hardest job in the world be happy? Who exactly are these Sewer Men?

In Pakistan, they are called "Manual Scavengers," literally manual sweepers. They are the ones who keep the sewers running in the slums and the poorest urban areas, by immersing themselves directly into the waste to work barehanded. They are almost always Christians.

In Pakistan, the Christian community represents a marginalized minority, kept almost out of society, forced to live in overcrowded ghettos and do jobs no one else wants to do. Here, in the slums, Christians are the lowest, the outcasts, living in conditions that seem almost out of time, forgotten by the outside world. They have no access to education or basic healthcare.

The most degrading jobs, like those of the Sewer Men, are reserved for them. To increase our chances of finding the Sewer Men, we're in the Christian community because most of the people who do this work are Christians, but it’s very difficult because they are often ghettoized even within their own community because, of course, by immersing themselves in the sewer, people tend to avoid them. But now we’ll try.

. . let’s try to search, let’s try asking the locals and also the churches, the churches where they go to pray.

But faith is their lifeline, in a world that has cast them aside. And since they are not even allowed to have official churches, they build them inside their homes. And in one of these improvised churches, I meet a pastor who tells me what it means to be a Christian here.

possible What is the biggest challenge you face in this community? Here we are left on our own. Here, the Christian church has no power or funds to operate properly.

That’s why we have to build "house churches" so people can come to God's house and pray. Do the Sewer Men face discrimination for their work in this community? It’s even harder for them.

No one wants to do it, but they have no other choice. They just do everything they can to survive and provide for their families. These places of worship are much more than churches.

They are spiritual refuges, community centers where even the humblest among them, like the Sewer Men, can find a sense of belonging and hope. He tells me that here, among the prayers and hymns, they find a spark of humanity that lifts them up even for a few moments, from the burden of their work. In these places, the outcasts of society can feel part of something bigger and be seen and heard.

It’s truly peculiar to see so many little churches inside a neighborhood in Islamabad, which is practically the capital of Islam here in Pakistan. But it’s important to know that all these little churches are practically illegal because they are built inside homes. The Government does not allow the possibility to build real churches so people, to pray and profess their faith, build the church inside their homes and welcome all the other believers.

This slum is practically an open-air sewer, but obviously, it's the best place to meet the sewer men, because clearly here they have a lot of work to do and also because this is one of the largest Christian communities in Islamabad. And this is practically the discrimination that forces them to do the hardest and toughest jobs. But before we continue our adventure, I want to talk to you about something very important.

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And as always, I’ll leave a link in the description to try NordVPN and browse with total security. And now, let's get back to our adventure. It’s not hard to spot the sewer men on the streets, because unfortunately or fortunately, there's always work for them, Sanjid has just started working, but his look already shows the tiredness of someone who knows this job too well.

He agrees to let us accompany him while he works on a manhole that’s been blocked for weeks. And as Sanjid prepares to enter the manhole, the situation seems surreal to me. The smell is so strong it makes you want to run away, but for him, it’s just another day at work.

Around us, people are watching but not Sanjid. They’re more interested in our cameras, while he’s just part of the landscape. It’s shocking to see how something so degrading can be considered normal.

This is the most delicate moment in Sanjid’s work because he’s about to open the manhole and obviously will have access to the sewer. He has to be extremely careful, because this is the dangerous part, actually, since inside the manhole, there could be chemical fumes that could knock him out once inside. And many of his colleagues have, have died this way.

In fact, it’s better if we move away because he, hopefully, should be able to sense immediately if there’s any risk. They usually drop a matchstick, a matchstick inside to see if there’s a reaction. If there’s a chemical reaction, it means he can’t go down.

Now we’ll see how he acts inside. Now I’m going down. Actually, he didn’t check much.

He immediately lowered himself into. . .

into the manhole. I hope his experience has. .

. has helped him assess the situation well. And he just used his tool, the only tool actually needed, because in the end, they do everything by hand, which is a wire, a wire they use to clear the obstruction inside the sewer.

And now he’s doing just that. Fortunately, this manhole is not full of wastewater, so his job should be a bit easier. But right now, I think he’s working hard on, on some very strong obstructions I can see from here.

I naively ask what those streams of water touching Sanjid are, and the answer is almost obvious, they are the waste from the neighborhood’s toilets. There’s too much filth, there’s too much garbage inside. It’s full of plastic bags, full of waste.

There are even rags. That’s why it’s all blocked. I also cut myself on a sharp piece of metal hidden in there.

I cleaned the passage and pulled out the dirt and trash. I think Sanjid smoked quite a bit before coming to work today, because he’s very, very high. He can hardly talk, I think.

. . for this job, sometimes it helps not to be too conscious.

We decide to let Sanjid rest and meet his colleague named Niahad. He’s a family man, with a calm and dignified presence that contrasts with the chaos of the slums around us. Niahad is taking us to work with him, but he explains that it’s not easy when he walks around the city because everyone avoids him.

In fact, people look at me like they’re saying, “What are you doing with him,” but I’m even happier to accompany him on a day of his work. He’s been doing this job for decades, and there’s a certain serenity in his actions, almost as if he’s found a balance between duty and the need to survive. Almost everyone he’s checking now is small and not blocked, so he’s checking them, opening them, and then closing them to continue.

They’ve assigned him to check this whole neighborhood, so there will be a few more to check. We spend the day with Niahad, following him as he checks each manhole, looking for the blockage. His task is long and exhausting, but his movements are always measured and precise.

In the slum streets, we are definitely a unique and unusual pair. People look at him and us with a mix of curiosity and sometimes contempt. Niahad knows well that many see him as impure, a carrier of diseases, but for him, it’s just another job, necessary for his family’s survival.

He has to check if this one is blocked. Oh my God. I’m checking this one, which was blocked.

We come to clean it every day. There’s a bit of trash stuck inside, so I need to go down to clear it. Now I’ll show you how it’s done.

I need to clean it well. There were some stones stuck in there. Now I’ll pull them out so the sewage can flow properly.

This one is really narrow, it barely fits. He had to go down deeper because I’m afraid he might get stuck. Why do you still have to do this job?

Aren’t there machines that can do it for you? There are machines that can do it, but the streets are too narrow, and there’s not enough space. Is your job illegal in Pakistan?

In Pakistan, only Christians do this job because only for us is it legal to do it. That’s why no other community besides the Christian one can do this job. In front of a larger manhole, Niahad becomes more serious, as if his work is just now starting.

Indeed, strangely, he undresses, though I don’t yet understand why. But I deduce that it’s a difficult manhole because Sanjid rushes to help him. Now we’ll open it, clean it, and remove any dirt that’s blocking it.

People here throw all sorts of things down the drain. There’s a lot of gas inside. We need to be very, very careful.

Many colleagues have died here. And we always cut our hands and feet inside the manholes. There are all sorts of sharp objects that can be very dangerous.

This will be complicated to clean because it’s the largest manhole in the neighborhood, and anything could be inside. We’ll clean the surface, and then I’ll go down to check the blocked point. Keep him down there.

I’ll press my foot on it. Hold the rope for me. Go, go.

Go down. Now we’ve got you. Keep going.

Always hold the rope! Go, I’ve got you. Keep going, don’t worry.

Done? It’s impossible to describe the stench coming out of this manhole. Inhuman, it’s full.

Clearly, there are human feces mixed with garbage. He’s almost fully submerged up to. .

. up to his chin. But he can’t find a foothold with his foot.

So his colleagues are holding him because there’s no oxygen inside. So if they weren’t there, he could drown. So now the situation is a bit delicate because it seems he can’t find the blockage with his feet.

I’m also worried about him because it doesn’t seem like an easy situation. I smell gas inside, I can’t breathe well. I don’t like this situation.

Brother. . .

I’m coming. . .

Get out now! It’s no use, everything is blocked down there. It’s very difficult.

The gas smell was overwhelming, and my head was spinning down there. Exhausted. He’s really worn out because when he was down there, he couldn’t breathe.

For a moment, I was worried too because. . .

he said he couldn’t move, it was too deep. Then his colleagues helped him get out. But this is definitely a dangerous job, not just the hardest job in the world.

It’s not easy to document these lives and stories, but I think it’s also important to have his testimony on what happiness can be when doing perhaps the hardest job in the world. We are afraid to go into these manholes because they’re full of gas and sewage. It can kill you.

It wouldn’t be the first time someone has died down here. Such incidents have already happened. That’s why I couldn’t unblock it.

But we are forced to do it. I will have to return with other tools to unblock it and free the sewer flow. Because every week it clogs up due to all the trash.

If we don’t do it, who will? Unfortunately, no one. We all have little children.

When we come home and see their faces, we remember why we do it. They are our strength. And like any other worker, Niahad’s day is over and to my surprise, he invites me to his home.

He wants me to meet his family. Is this your family? Yes.

These are my children, and this is my wife. We have three sons and two daughters. Peace be with you!

And this is Niahad’s home. I think more than one family lives here, let’s ask him, But look how many children there are, they’re beautiful. Take a picture of us!

We are two families in this room, and there are many children. But we help each other to overcome difficulties. The house isn’t ours, it belongs to my brother.

But thanks to him, we have a roof over our heads. It’s not an easy life, we’re going through really tough times. I have 5 children, 3 boys and 2 girls.

Those three are my boys, and those sitting there are my girls. When I get called for work, I’m happy because I can buy food. Sometimes we don’t eat lunch or dinner.

Do you understand how important a job like mine is? Do you somehow feel happy when you get called to work? I know my job seems like the worst in the world, but I can’t wait for them to call me because I have to feed and send my children to school.

I always think about my husband’s work, about how hard it is. But we need it to feed our children. If you do a good job, you’re happy.

This isn’t a good job, but I thank God for the little money we get. The kids and I are always worried until he gets back because it’s an extremely dangerous job. People say it’s a dirty job, and it’s true.

His clothes are always ruined, and no one touches him or stays near him. They tell me: "Your husband should find a better job. This isn’t a real job.

" I have no friends because of my job. But I have no choice, I still have to do it. Do your children know about your job?

My children understand what we do. They don’t like it, but when we have food, they’re happy. The only thing that matters to me is showing my children that their dad is an honest person who just wants to see them happy.

I dream that my children will be successful and that one day they’ll be able to help my husband. I hope he can leave this job and find something better. In such harsh conditions, what is the source of your happiness?

When we have something to eat, we’re happy. Even a little money allows us to eat, and that’s enough. The work is exhausting, but I do it for my children.

They are my strength. I don’t earn much, but that little helps us survive. And for me, that’s already a lot.

I couldn’t study, but I work hard so my children can get an education. Every day, we make sacrifices to give our children the chance to study and change their future. If there’s one thing I’ve learned after all these years of research, it’s that happiness doesn’t mean the same thing to everyone.

For Niahad, for example, it’s not about big dreams or unreachable aspirations. His happiness is simple, rooted in the dignity of work, in unconditional love for family, and in the hope for a better future for his children. Every day he manages to put a plate on the table is a small victory, a step forward toward his idea of happiness.

His story shows us that it’s not the external conditions, no matter how difficult or degrading, that determine happiness, but the ability to find meaning even in the hardest circumstances.