No reports of manual scavenging in last five years: Union minister

The Safai Karamchari Andolan has demanded that the Prime Minister bring out a white paper on the work done by the government for manual scavengers in the last 10 years and release a special package for the liberation and rehabilitation of manual scavengers.

On July 24, while responding to unstarred questions raised by TMC MP Saket Gokhale in the Rajya Sabha on the number of total manual scavenging incidents brought to the notice/identified of the ministry in the last five years (year-wise) – and on manual scavenging cases reported to the ministry through the ‘Swachhata Abhiyaan’ mobile app since 2020 – Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale replied that ‘there is no report of manual scavenging in the country in the last five years’ and that out of the total 6,256 cases uploaded on the mobile app from 114 districts, all cases were verified and none was found credible!!!

Thus, the Union Minister turned a blind eye to the increasing deaths of Safai Karmacharis due to hazardous and manual cleaning of safety tanks, sewers, etc. This is an attempt by the Union to hide the data related to deaths due to manual scavenging to escape the responsibility of rehabilitation of the dependents of the deceased workers.

Bezawada Wilson, National Convenor of Safai Karmachari Andolan (SKM), then issued a press release on July 24 and registered his disappointment over the Union Budget and the statement of Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Athawale. Wilson said that the Minister has turned a blind eye to the issue of manual scavenging.

Wilson also said through this press release that “The Union Budget for the year 2024-25 presented by the Finance Minister in Parliament on Tuesday has completely betrayed the Safai Karamchari community. There is no mention of manual scavengers in the entire budget. Even the scheme for rehabilitation of manual scavengers (SRMS) has been disgracefully scrapped. This disappointing budget has once again demonstrated the Central Government’s apparent apathy towards Safai Karamcharis, especially manual scavengers.”

On July 25, the Safai Karmachari Andolan released another press release stating that there have been 43 deaths in sewers and septic tanks in the last 6 months but the government and the budget are still silent on this. SKM further said that “There have been numerous reports highlighting the tragic deaths of manual scavengers who risk their lives while cleaning sewers and septic tanks. Despite multiple calls for reforms and implementation of laws aimed at eliminating this dangerous practice, the government’s negligence is evident. There is little evidence of concrete steps taken to prevent such incidents in the future. Furthermore, the government has failed to regulate local authorities, who have consistently failed to provide necessary safety equipment or training to those involved in such cleaning for emergencies. The absence of strong policies reflects a broader societal apathy towards issues affecting marginalised communities in India.”

It is important to hold the government accountable for failing to protect the lives of these Dalit sanitation workers. We demand the government recognise these deaths and ask the authorities not to manipulate any data or facts related to these deaths. SKM further said.

Recent deaths due to manual scavenging

8 workers die within 10 days in UP:

Recently in May, Uttar Pradesh witnessed 8 deaths in a short period of 10 days due to manual scavenging. On May 2, Shrobhan Yadav, 57, and his son Sushil Yadav, 30, died while checking a sewer line without safety equipment in Lucknow’s Wazir Ganj area. On May 3, two daily wage labourers, Kokan Mandal, 40, and Nuni Mandal, 36, died while cleaning the septic tank of a private residence in Noida Sector 26. On May 9, four people died from inhaling toxic gases while cleaning the septic tank of a house in Mughalsarai, Chandauli. Three of the victims, Vinod Rawat, 35, Kundan, 42, and Loha, 23, were informal sanitation workers, while the fourth victim was the house owner’s son, who died while trying to save the workers. Colin Gonsalves, senior Supreme Court advocate and founder of Human Rights Law Network, remarked, “It is appalling that workers are forced to get down into sewer lines without any protocol, machine or oxygen gear to clean sewer lines.

Centre says 400 people died due to manual scavenging in 2023

Union Minister Ramdas Athawale had shared information in a written reply to a question asked by TMC MP Aparupa Poddar regarding manual scavenging in India in 2023 that 400 people have died while cleaning septic tanks and sewers in India between 2018 and 2023.

According to the data, out of the 49 cases of deaths in 2023, the highest number of 10 were reported from Rajasthan, followed by Gujarat (9), Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu (7 each), West Bengal (3), Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana (2 each) and Punjab and Jharkhand.

However, the Maharashtra government has informed the Bombay High Court that a total of 81 people have died so far due to manual scavenging in the state.

In the year 2023, eight people have died while cleaning sewers in different parts of the state in Gujarat from March 22 to April 26, 2023, raising concerns over the continuation of deaths of manual scavengers even though the practice has been declared illegal across the country. Two people died in Rajkot on March 22, three died in Dahej on April 3, two more died in Dholka on April 23 and one more death was reported in Tharad in North Gujarat on April 26, The Hindu reported.

Despite the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013, which outlaws and prohibits the practice of manually removing human excreta from sewer lines or septic tanks, manual scavenging continues in different parts of the country.

In 2023, the central government admitted that about 1,035 individuals have lost their lives while cleaning sewers and septic tanks across India since 1993. Similarly, according to Sabrang India, it was found that only one of the 616 cases filed under the Manual Scavenging Act against contractors for negligence in providing safety equipment to sanitation workers has resulted in a conviction. This is despite the fact that the government had said it would aim to eliminate manual scavenging by 2021. For detailed information on the law that regulates and prohibits manual scavenging in India, see the 3-article series on the law by Citizens for Justice and Peace.

Courtesy : Hindi News