Manual scavenging is a common practice that prevails in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh for many years. Often we hear about the deaths of people who manually clean sewages. According to data by the National Commission for Safai Karamcharis, since January 2017, 123 workers have died while engaging in acts of manual scavenging.
The practice of manual scavenging involves workers physically entering sewers or septic tanks to clean out excreta. The work has historically been connected to Dalit communities in India, making its prevalence not just a question of capability but also one of social mores. India outlawed the practice in the 1990s, yet manual scavenging continues across the country, and frequently leads to deaths. The ongoing practice often questions the business mindedness of the government bodies as this method avails them cheap labor.
However, what can be seen as a new hope is that the government is going to make the law prohibiting manual scavenging more Draconian. As per the information given by the officials, the government is planning to introduce a bill in the upcoming monsoon session of the Parliament starting from Monday.
The officials stated that the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and Their Rehabilitation Amendment Bill, 2020 (Prohibition of Manual Scavenging Employment) 2020 also proposes that sewer cleaning be ensured to be fully machined. Apart from this, other reforms include the provision of better safety at work and compensation in case of accidents. As of current times, it is punishable to employ a worker by any person or agency for the hazardous cleaning of sewer and septic tanks. Not only this, but there is also a provision for imprisonment of up to five years or a fine of five lakh rupees or both. Officials said the new bill provides for a law prohibiting manual scavenging by increasing the amount of imprisonment and fine. They also added that it will be one of the 23 bills to be presented in the Parliament as of this session.
The bill is presupposed to be considered as a measure to curb the increasing cases of deaths during the cleaning of sewers in the country. The bill comes under the National Action Plan of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. It aims to eradicate the hazardous sanitation of sewer and septic tanks. The government plans to modernize the sewage system as well as bring non-sewer lines within its sphere.
