Ending manual scavenging

The photograph of an inconsolable little boy clasping the body of his father Anil, who had died while cleaning a sewer in Delhi a few days ago, stirred the national conscience. In an unprecedented outpouring of sympathy, citizens came together to raise more than Rs 50 lakh for the family. But five other sewer workers who lost their lives due to asphyxiation in a sewage treatment plant in the national capital only days earlier were completely ignored, and their families left to their fate. This is the story with numerous manual scavengers across the country.

Many succumb to the noxious gases but rarely do those casualties draw attention or make it to the news. That the manual scavengers belong to the lowest strata or castes is the biggest factor for their absolute neglect and denial of basic human rights. Their faceless and voiceless existence is why the practice of manual scavenging continues unabated despite promulgation of laws such as the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013.

The law bans manual cleaning of sewers, septic tanks and the like while prescribing that all safety gear and equipment be provided to workers engaged in such work. On the other hand, there is a huge discrepancy in the identification of manual scavengers. As per the Socio Economic and Caste Census of 2011, there are about 1.68 lakh manual scavengers but the Centre has enumerated only around 13,657 in 13 states.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dream project Swachh Bharat Abhiyan attaches top priority to eliminating open defecation from the country through universal household toilet coverage by 2019. It is imperative on the government to also focus on the mechanisation of sanitation works with the same zeal. The state governments, which are the main culprits, should be brought around to implement those laws  which accord rights to scavengers. Else, the coming days might see more and more manual scavenging deaths.