'Scavenging', it's a woeful anachronism

The term itself gives the game away - 'manual scavenging', infused as it is with Third World overtones of privation and denial of dignity that would make a Dickens recoil. And, yet, dehumanised sanitation workers without any protective equipment continue to ply their 'trade' despite a ban across India. Earlier this month, days after Supreme Court called for an immediate stop to the practice in cities, three workers died inside a drainage line in Kolkata. They were sent to clean a sewage system polluted with tannery chemicals, waste that should have been treated, but was dumped into common drains. We are a far cry away from seriously wanting to be 'viksit'.

Laws meant to eradicate manual cleaning include Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and Their Rehabilitation Act 2013, and Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act 1993. Their flouting violates Article 21 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to live with dignity. Yet, this hazardous, degrading work continues due to poor law enforcement, poverty and a culture of cutting corners. Proper safety measures, mechanical solutions and alternative livelihoods remain woefully inadequate.

Then there's the caste aspect. According to government data, 97% of manual cleaners are dalits. In 2021, GoI claimed to have identified 58,098 manual cleaners - while, paradoxically, insisting the practice no longer existed. The Safai Karmachari Andolan estimates over 7,70,000 such workers. There has been some push for mechanical de-sludging and protective equipment. But as the latest deaths prove, much more needs to be done. Without a coordinated effort from all stakeholders and a genuine desire to implement the laws, wishes will remain buried.