‘In over 90% of sewer deaths, workers had no safety gear’, Pg14

Key Highlights

• 49 out of 54 sewer deaths (2022–23) involved no safety equipment; only one worker had gloves and gumboots.
• 150 total deaths due to hazardous cleaning were recorded nationwide in the same period.
• No consent was taken in 27 cases; in 18 cases, consent was taken but without risk counselling.
• 38 workers were individually contracted, only 5 employed by government agencies.
• Awareness drives were conducted in only 7 cases, limited to parts of Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.
• NAMASTE scheme launched in July 2023, identifies 84,902 workers, with just over 50% given PPE kits.

Detailed Insights

• The audit exposes that most agencies still lack equipment readiness and fail to meet basic safety protocols for hazardous cleaning operations.
• Mechanisation, though mandated under law and policy, is absent or inaccessible in almost all examined instances.
• Risk awareness and informed consent procedures are systematically ignored, endangering lives through misinformation and coercion.
• Employment terms remain informal, with most deceased workers having been individually contracted, indicating lack of institutional accountability.
• The NAMASTE scheme, though a step forward, shows only partial implementation, with PPE coverage still inadequate.
• The audit contradicts the official claim that manual scavenging has ended, revealing continuing hazardous manual work under new labels.
• Parliamentary scrutiny brought these findings to light after a question by Congress MP, showing the role of legislative oversight.
• The issue reflects a broader trend of neglect in the implementation of the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and Their Rehabilitation Act, 2013.

Key Concepts Involved

• PPE (Personal Protective Equipment): Gear such as gloves, boots, helmets, masks used to protect workers from hazardous environments.
• Mechanised Sewer Cleaning Equipment: Includes jetting machines, suction pumps, and robotic arms designed to eliminate manual entry into toxic environments.
• NAMASTE Scheme: National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem – aims to eliminate hazardous cleaning through identification, training, and mechanisation support.