Manual Scavenging [UPSC Notes]

In June 2023, the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment mentioned that in India only 508 districts out of the country’s 766 districts have declared themselves free from manual scavenging. In this context, we discuss manual scavenging, its current prevalence in India, legal provisions and government schemes to eradicate manual scavenging from the country. This topic is relevant for the IAS exam social justice, polity and governance segments.

What is Manual Scavenging?

Manual evacuation means removing human and animal waste from a dry toilet and transporting it for disposal.

• According to the “Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 (MS Act, 2013)”, hand scavenging means the manual cleaning, carrying, disposal or handling of human excrement in any manner in a sloppy toilet.
• It has been banned since December 2013.
• It was officially banned in 1993 by the Anti-manual Scavenging Act in 1993  as a degrading practice.

Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment Report on Manual Scavenging

• In April 2022, the centre reported that there had been no deaths in the country, but that 161 workers had died cleaning sewers and septic tanks in the last three years.
• Tamil Nadu reported the highest number of such deaths, with 27 and 26 in Uttar Pradesh, according to government data.

• Only 66% of districts in the country are free of manual scavenging.
• The ministry has differentiated ‘manual scavenging’ from’ hazardous cleaning of sewers’.

Legal Provisions Related to Manual Scavenging

• The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 (MS Act, 2013) and their restoration law prohibits the construction or maintenance of unsanitary latrines and the employment of any person who washes hands or dangerously cleans drains and pools.
• Article 21: The Article guarantees the ‘Right to Life’ with dignity.

Government Schemes on Manual Scavenging

• Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan (Clean India initiative)
• Safaimitra Suraksha Challenge
• Swachhta Abhiyan App
• Introduction of ‘The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation (Amendment) Bill, 2020’ as part of the National Action Plan for the Department of Justice and Empowerment.
• Mechanical Cleaning: The bill proposes the complete cleaning of sewage systems and the improvement of work safety and compensation in case of an accident.
• At present, the employment of any person by any person or body for the dangerous cleaning of drains and exhaust tanks is punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to five years or with a fine which may extend to 5 lakhs or with both.
• The 58,000 identified sewer workers have been given a one-time cash payout of 40,000 rupees each.
• Moreover, around 22,000 have been connected to skilling programmes.
• The scheme for the rehabilitation of manual scavengers has now been merged with the NAMASTE scheme for 100% mechanisation of sewer work.
  • However, the FY 2023-24 Union Budget lacked allocation for the rehabilitation scheme.
• Rupees 100 crore allocations for the NAMASTE scheme have been done.

Other measures:

• The Ministry of Social Affairs and Justice plans to amend the law to make machine washing mandatory, while the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development has launched the “SafaimitraSuraksha Challenge”.
• Technological development:
  • The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras has developed a robot that aims to eliminate manual flushing in India.
  • About 10 units will be deployed in Tamil Nadu and will be launched in Gujarat and Maharashtra later.

Why is Manual Scavenging Still Prevalent?

• Lack of strict laws: Present law says that manual washing is prohibited and sewers must be cleaned by mechanical means, but they can also be cleaned in extreme situations with the help of human protective equipment. 
• Technological challenge: Since removing sludge from sewage is difficult with machines due to its hardness, humans are used for this purpose. The development of appropriate and affordable technologies is necessary.

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