Panaji: Manual scavenging is no longer practised in Goa, said state govt on Friday. The declaration is based on a month-long exercise conducted to identify insanitary latrines and manual scavengers in the state, said the two district collectors.
Govt has given residents and stakeholders 15 days to challenge these findings. “Based on data reported, it is hereby declared that the district is free of insanitary latrines and manual scavengers,” said a notice issued by the collectors.
To eradicate manual scavenging and ensure the rehabilitation of those affected, govt has announced the formation of a state-level and two district-level survey committees. “If any manual scavenger is there in Goa, they have to bring this to the notice of the collector concerned for action,” said a senior official at the directorate of panchayats, who monitored the survey. If the collectors do not receive any objections, a final report will be submitted to state govt. The directorate of social welfare is then expected to submit the report to Centre.
A manual scavenger refers to a person employed to manually remove human excreta from toilets, open drains, or sewerage pits. The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013, also prohibits the use of individuals to clear human waste from railway tracks.
The National Commission for Safai Karmacharis issued a stern directive to state govt officials to put an end to the inhumane practice. The commission’s vice-chairperson, Anjna Panwar, also called for an ‘action taken’ report over the delay in disbursing compensation to the families of workers who died while cleaning sewers. “Almost every day there is a sewerage death. People need to be aware that this is wrong and that manual cleaning of sewers cannot be done and that it has to be done with machines,” she said.
The survey, which began on Sep 27 to identify insanitary latrines and manual scavengers, was conducted by the civic bodies, village panchayats, and BDOs. As of July, out of the 766 districts in the country, 732 districts reported themselves as manual scavenging-free.
Under the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban 2.0), Centre provided Rs 371 crore for smaller towns to acquire mechanised equipment, septic tank cleaning vehicles, and other equipment to replace manual scavenging.