Pandemic pushes plenty into manual scavenging

Manual scavenging or manual cleaning of sewers and septic tanks was banned by law in 2013, yet the practice has continued and indeed even grown, especially since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and the resultant breakdown of the Indian economy, pushing hundreds of millions into extreme poverty, within a span of a few months. According to a survey by the manual scavengers’ association, there were about 1.2 million manual scavengers in 2018, even though the official data claims only about 42,300 such workers across India.

Manual scavengers’ association claims that over 425 workers died in the national capital region alone in eight months from January-August 2017 as the malpractice is widespread here. Most workers are forced to work without even basic safety gear and often die due to toxic gases widely prevalent in sewers and septic tanks. Despite this, little action has been taken against those employing these workers to deadly conditions, without any safeguards.