Editorial 1: Clean house
Context
Complete mechanisation of septic tank desludging is essential.
Introduction
Despite numerous laws, schemes, and court directives, hazardous manual scavenging continues to claim lives in India. A flawed contracting system, lack of protective gear, and weak monitoring expose workers—mostly from Dalit communities—to daily danger. The 2022–2023 deaths highlight the urgent need for mechanisation, better enforcement, and meaningful rehabilitation for sanitation workers.
Root Causes Behind Cleaning Deaths (2022–2023)
- A total of 150 people died during hazardous cleaning operations in 2022 and 2023.
- A social audit of 54 cases, presented by the Ministry of Social Justice in Parliament, revealed a flawed system.
- Only 5 workers were on government payroll; 38 were hired by local contractors.
- Several public sector employees were illegally “loaned” to private firms, making it hard to fix responsibility.
- This continues despite laws and schemes, including:
- The Manual Scavengers Act (2013).
- Supreme Court orders.
- Swachh Bharat Mission advisories.
- The NAMASTE scheme (2023).
Poor Implementation and Lack of Support
- A 2024 Parliament reply highlighted serious gaps:
- 57,758 workers involved in hazardous cleaning.
- Only 16,791 PPE kits were distributed.
- Less than 14,000 health cards issued.
- Only 837 safety workshops held across 4,800 urban local bodies.
- Bright spots:
- Odisha: Workers have PPE kits and mechanised desludging vehicles.
- Tamil Nadu: Sewer robots in Chennai cleaned over 5,000 manholes.
- However, these successes have not scaled to most districts.
- Experts also point out a lack of data on rural sanitation workers, leaving many invisible to policy.
Structural Failures and Needed Reforms
- The core issue is lack of enforcement:
- Infrastructure can be cleaned mechanically if government provides subsidies and training.
- Yet, tenders often still invite manual work bids.
- Emergency sanitation units are mostly non-functional.
- Under the NAMASTE scheme, only ₹14 crore has been disbursed — insufficient even for one major city.
- In case of worker deaths:
- Blame is usually shifted to low-ranking supervisors.
- Deaths are often recorded as accidents.
- The Supreme Court has directed:
- Cancellation of illegal contracts.
- Penalties on principal employers.
- But local authorities haven’t acted on these orders.
- Dalits form two-thirds of validated sanitation workers but:
- Rehabilitation packages rarely include essentials like housing or scholarships.
- Women, especially those cleaning dry latrines, face severe neglect.
Action Steps for Real Reform
- Mechanise sewer cleaning urgently across urban areas.
- Make it a licensed profession — operating without certification should be a cognisable offence.
- Offer loans for workers to purchase machines, and link them with guaranteed service contracts.
- Include septic tank desludging under the Swachh Bharat (Rural) budget.
- Expand NAMASTE worker profiling to gram panchayats in rural areas.
Conclusion
To prevent further deaths, India must ensure strict enforcement, invest in mechanised cleaning, and offer loans and licences to sanitation workers. The government must expand NAMASTE coverage, provide PPE kits, and support Dalit and female workers with housing, scholarships, and social protection. Only political will, technology, and accountability can dismantle this cycle of neglect and injustice.