Hazardous Cleaning Deaths and Social Audit Findings
The deaths of 150 individuals in 2022 and 2023 due to hazardous cleaning practices highlight a severe issue rooted in a problematic business model. The Ministry of Social Justice presented a social audit in Parliament, revealing critical insights into the employment conditions of these workers.
Employment Conditions and Legislative Response
- 38 workers were hired by local contractors, with only 5 being on a government payroll.
- The rest were 'loaned' public sector workers to private employers, which blurred liability lines.
- Progress remains insufficient despite the 2013 Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers Act, court orders, Swachh Bharat advisories, and 2023 NAMASTE scheme.
Statistics and Implementation Gaps
- 57,758 workers engaged in hazardous cleaning; only 16,791 received PPE kits.
- Fewer than 14,000 workers have health cards, and only 837 safety workshops have been conducted across 4,800 urban local bodies.
Technology and Political Will: Success Stories
- In Odisha, workers have access to PPE kits and mechanized desludging vehicles.
- Tamil Nadu has successfully piloted sewer robots in Chennai, cleaning over 5,000 manholes.
Challenges in Policy and Enforcement
- Lack of data on rural sanitation workers and insufficient enforcement are major issues.
- Government tenders still favor manual cleaning bids despite technological alternatives.
- Only ₹14 crore released under NAMASTE scheme, inadequate for mechanizing sewer cleaning in even one major city.
- In case of worker deaths, legal accountability is often misplaced on lower-level supervisors.
Judicial and Policy Recommendations
- The Supreme Court has called for canceling offending contracts and imposing monetary liabilities on principal employers.
- Two-thirds of validated workers are Dalits; rehabilitation packages should include housing and scholarships.
- Women who sweep dry latrines receive minimal policy focus.
Strategic Measures for Improvement
- Urban local bodies should mechanize sewer-cleaning urgently and make it a licensed trade.
- Upscale loans for operating machines replacing manual entry, linked to service contracts from municipalities.
- Include septic tank desludging in the Swachh Bharat rural budget and extend NAMASTE profiling to gram panchayats.
