Manual Scavenging and Sewer Deaths in India

Syllabus: GS1/ Social Issues, GS2/ Governance

Context

• A recent Social Audit (2022–23) by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment revealed that over 90% of sewer deaths occurred without safety gear or or personalised protective equipment (PPE) kits.

What is Manual Scavenging?

• Manual scavenging refers to the practice of manually cleaning, carrying, and disposing of human excreta from dry latrines, open drains, sewers, and septic tanks. 
• It is a hazardous and degrading occupation that primarily affects marginalized communities.

Why Manual Scavenging Continues to Exist in India?

• Lack of Alternatives: Limited access to education and job opportunities keeps people in manual scavenging.
• Caste System: Deep-seated caste-based discrimination traps many in this occupation.
• Weak Law Enforcement: Inadequate implementation of anti-manual scavenging laws.
• Inadequate Sanitary Infrastructure: Lack of modern sanitation systems necessitates manual cleaning.
  • Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) often lack trained personnel, mechanized equipment, and funds to modernize sanitation infrastructure.
• Economic Factors: Cheap labour costs make manual scavenging financially attractive.

Constitutional and Legal Dimensions

• Constitutional Provisions:
  • Article 21: Right to life with dignity includes the right to safe working conditions.
  • Article 23: Prohibits forced labour, applicable in cases where workers are coerced into hazardous cleaning without alternatives.
  • Article 42: Directs the state to ensure just and humane conditions of work.
• Legal Framework:
  • The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013: Bans manual scavenging and mandates rehabilitation of affected persons.
  • The Supreme Court (Safai Karamchari Andolan v. Union of India, 2014) ordered compensation of ₹10 lakh for each sewer/septic tank death and held the state liable.

Initiatives Taken Against Manual Scavenging

• The government has formulated the NAMASTE scheme or National Action Plan for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem in an effort to stop deaths due to hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks.
• Swachh Bharat Abhiyan: Aims to promote sanitation and reduce manual scavenging.
• Rashtriya Garima Abhiyaan: National Campaign focused on eradicating the dehumanizing practice of manual scavenging and ensuring comprehensive rehabilitation for manual scavengers throughout India.
• The Bandicoot robot, is India’s first indigenous manhole-cleaning robot, introduced in Kerala in 2018. In 2023, Kerala became the first Indian state to fully robotize manhole cleaning.
• ILO Guidelines: Call for decent work conditions, safety, training, and social security for sanitation workers.

Way Ahead

• Complete Mechanization of Sanitation Work: Mandate use of modern machines for sewer and septic tank cleaning under the NAMASTE scheme, with dedicated funding and training.
• Strengthening Urban Local Bodies (ULBs): Equip ULBs with trained staff, adequate funds, and equipment to modernize sanitation systems and eliminate dependence on manual cleaning.
• Maintain real-time data on sanitation workers and sewer deaths with periodic audits and independent monitoring to ensure transparency and policy response.

Source: TH