Manual scavenging and a case for human dignity
19 years, 9 months ago

Manual scavenging and a case for human dignity

The Hindu  

The Supreme Court’s intervention raises the hopes of lakhs of Dalit families seeking enforcement of the Act designed to eradicate manual scavenging and rehabilitation of people doing the work. In appearance, the Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines Act, 1993, had everything to put the government’s effort in a favourable light. They urged the Supreme Court to issue time-bound directions to the Union of India and the various States to take effective steps for the elimination of the practice of manual scavenging simultaneously with the formulation and implementation of comprehensive plans for rehabilitation of all persons employed as manual scavengers. In their replies to the court, many State governments have asserted that there are no dry latrines and no manual scavengers in their States.

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History of this topic

Deaths Due To Manual Scavenging Expose Claims : Supreme Court Seeks Explanation From Delhi, Kolkata & Hyderabad Authorities
1 month ago

Deaths Due To Manual Scavenging Expose Claims : Supreme Court Seeks Explanation From Delhi, Kolkata & Hyderabad Authorities

Live Law  

The Supreme Court recently expressed dissatisfaction over the affidavits filed by authorities in Kolkata, Delhi and Hyderabad for failing to explain how and when manual scavenging and manual sewer cleaning would be stopped in their cities. Particularly, the Court has noted that Delhi Jal Board, Kolkata Municipal Corporation and Hyderabad Metropolitan Water & Sewerage Board have not given any explanation …

Bengaluru Rural police arrest Asha Sweets owner, experts flag manual scavenging worries
4 months, 4 weeks ago

Bengaluru Rural police arrest Asha Sweets owner, experts flag manual scavenging worries

New Indian Express  

BENGALURU: Bengaluru Rural police arrested Mayur, owner of Asha Sweets, for the death of two men allegedly engaged in manual scavenging at the company’s factory in Sompura Industrial Area in Bengaluru Rural district. Investigations revealed that the company, which has about 18 outlets in the city, allegedly did not adhere to clearances and regulations from various departments, including the Karnataka …

Letters to The Editor — October 1, 2024
6 months ago

Letters to The Editor — October 1, 2024

The Hindu  

End manual scavenging That a recent survey only confirms that manual scavenging is predominantly associated with India’s Scheduled Castes is saddening. Despite India’s technological advancements and alternative mechanisms, it is shameful that fellow citizens are still engaged in manual scavenging. The Swachh Bharat slogan can only be achieved when India eradicates manual scavenging and puts an end to the inhuman …

92% of workers cleaning urban sewers, septic tanks are from SC, ST, OBC groups
6 months ago

92% of workers cleaning urban sewers, septic tanks are from SC, ST, OBC groups

The Hindu  

In a first-of-its-kind attempt to enumerate people engaged in the hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks in India’s cities and towns, government data gathered from over 3,000 urban local bodies in 29 States and Union Territories shows that 91.9% of the 38,000 workers profiled so far belong to Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, or other backward class communities. Between 2019 …

Madurai HC orders status report on manual scavenger rehabilitation
7 months, 2 weeks ago

Madurai HC orders status report on manual scavenger rehabilitation

New Indian Express  

MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has directed the Virudhunagar district collector and the Madurai corporation commissioner to file a status report on a petition seeking the rehabilitation of manual scavengers. The petition was filed by advocate A. Sahaya Philomin Raj, who argued that despite the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013, …

Manual Scavenging Is State Sanctioned Casteism, Stark Reminder Of Deep-Rooted Discrimination: Madras HC Issues Guidelines For Eradication
10 months, 4 weeks ago

Manual Scavenging Is State Sanctioned Casteism, Stark Reminder Of Deep-Rooted Discrimination: Madras HC Issues Guidelines For Eradication

Live Law  

Lamenting over the persistence of manual scavenging in today's day and age, the Madras High Court has issued a slew of guidelines to eradicate manual scavenging and to ensure compliance with the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013. The court was hearing a plea by Safai Karamchari Andolan seeking to eradicate manual scavenging in the …

Ensure Effective Implementation Of Law Against Manual Scavenging: Bombay High Court To State
11 months ago

Ensure Effective Implementation Of Law Against Manual Scavenging: Bombay High Court To State

Live Law  

The Bombay High Court recently called for information from the Municipal Corporations of Greater Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan-Dombivali, and Mira-Bhayander on steps taken for effective implementation of the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and Their Rehabilitation Act, 2013. The reply affidavit must state whether State Monitoring Committee, Vigilance Committees, State Level Survey Committee, District Level Survey Committee and Sub Divisional …

SC orders govt to pay ₹30 lakh to families of those who die cleaning sewer
1 year, 5 months ago

SC orders govt to pay ₹30 lakh to families of those who die cleaning sewer

Hindustan Times  

The Supreme Court of India on Friday said that government authorities will have to pay ₹30 lakh as compensation to the kin of those who die while cleaning sewers, PTI reported. A bench of Justices S Ravindra Bhat and Aravind Kumar also said that those who suffer permanent disabilities while cleaning sewers will be paid a minimum compensation of ₹20 …

In 7 days, over 100 districts report themselves to be manual scavenging-free
1 year, 7 months ago

In 7 days, over 100 districts report themselves to be manual scavenging-free

The Hindu  

More than 100 districts across the country reported themselves to be free of manual scavenging in a period of seven days even as the Union government has said it is vigorously pursuing districts that have not yet done so to complete the procedure. Districts declaring themselves free of manual scavenging are doing so by determining the existence of insanitary latrines …

Social Justice Ministry doubts app’s numbers on cases of manual scavenging
1 year, 8 months ago

Social Justice Ministry doubts app’s numbers on cases of manual scavenging

The Hindu  

Data on the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment’s mobile app ‘Swachhata Abhiyaan’ identifies 6,253 cases of manual scavenging in the country. A note prepared for the Ministry in the Supreme Court said the mobile app was launched on December 24, 2020 to capture the data of insanitary latrines still existing and manual scavengers associated with them. Uploaded photographs on …

Manual scavenging witnessed in Coimbatore a day after Union Social Justice Ministry said all Tamil Nadu districts free from the practice
1 year, 8 months ago

Manual scavenging witnessed in Coimbatore a day after Union Social Justice Ministry said all Tamil Nadu districts free from the practice

The Hindu  

A day after the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment said that 530 out of 766 districts in the country have reported themselves as free of manual scavenging, including all the districts in Tamil Nadu, workers were found engaged in manual scavenging in Coimbatore on Thursday. “It was painful to see the man standing inside the clogged manhole and clearing …

530 districts reported as free of manual scavenging: Centre
1 year, 8 months ago

530 districts reported as free of manual scavenging: Centre

The Hindu  

Jammu and Kashmir, Manipur, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, and Jharkhand are among the States and Union Territories that have the highest number of districts yet to declare themselves as manual scavenging free, according to data submitted by the Social Justice Ministry in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. The Ministry said that a total of 530 districts across the country had …

Justice evades ‘manual scavenging’ victims
1 year, 8 months ago

Justice evades ‘manual scavenging’ victims

Hindustan Times  

Mumbai: A social organisation has written to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal and the city collector, claiming that sections under the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013, were missing from the FIRs in connection with the death of three sanitation workers in last month. HT Image Jan Haq Sangharsh Samiti, which works on …

246 districts yet to declare themselves free of manual scavenging
1 year, 8 months ago

246 districts yet to declare themselves free of manual scavenging

Firstpost  

According to data shared in the eighth meeting of the central monitoring committee, out of 766 districts, as many as 520 districts have declared themselves manual scavenging free, while 246 districts are yet to submit the report. About 246 districts in the country have yet to declare themselves free of manual scavenging even as the government’s deadline for declaring India …

Problem of manual scavenging eliminated, claims Union Social Justice Ministry panel
1 year, 8 months ago

Problem of manual scavenging eliminated, claims Union Social Justice Ministry panel

The Hindu  

Despite noting that just 520 districts across the country had declared themselves free of manual scavenging, the Central Monitoring Committee of the Social Justice Ministry concluded in its eighth meeting on July 5, 2023 that all unsanitary latrines had been made sanitary under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan and that the problem of manual scavenging is eliminated. A month ago, the …

Manual Scavenging: Madhya Pradesh High Court Takes Suo Motu Cognizance After Recent Death Of 2 Contract Workers Inside Sewer Hole
1 year, 9 months ago

Manual Scavenging: Madhya Pradesh High Court Takes Suo Motu Cognizance After Recent Death Of 2 Contract Workers Inside Sewer Hole

Live Law  

Observing that it is unfortunate that the persons employed to do the work in a sewer hole lost their lives, the Madhya Pradesh High Court has taken suo motu cognisance of the continuing manual scavenging in the state after the recent death of two workers in Gwalior. While issuing notice to the State, the bench of Chief Justice Ravi Malimath …

Supreme Court asks government what it has done to end manual scavenging
2 years, 1 month ago

Supreme Court asks government what it has done to end manual scavenging

The Hindu  

The Supreme Court has directed the government to place on record within six weeks the steps taken by it to implement its nearly 10-year-old judgment to end manual scavenging and prevent future generations from the “inhuman practice” while making entry into sewers without safety gear a crime even in emergency situations. A Bench led by Justice S. Ravindra Bhat recently …

Supreme Court Asks Centre To Inform Steps Taken To Stop Manual Scavenging, Abolish Dry Latrines
2 years, 1 month ago

Supreme Court Asks Centre To Inform Steps Taken To Stop Manual Scavenging, Abolish Dry Latrines

Live Law  

The Supreme Court has directed the Union of India to place on record the steps taken by it to prevent the employment of manual scavengers as per the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and Their Rehabilitation Act 2013.The Court has asked the Centre to inform the steps taken in pursuance of the guidelines issued in the 2014 judgment “Safai …

Manual scavenging: Appalling practice continues in India despite government promises to end it
2 years, 1 month ago

Manual scavenging: Appalling practice continues in India despite government promises to end it

The Hindu  

Published : Feb 23, 2023 10:40 IST On February 1, 2020, Ravi, 25, descended into a 15-20 feet deep sewer at CBD ground at Karkardooma in Delhi. “No place in the world sends people to gas chambers to die,” the Supreme Court had said on sewer deaths in 2019, asking the Centre why protective gear was not provided to sanitation …

India’s Anti-Manual Scavenging Drive is Faltering, Needs Immediate Intervention
2 years, 4 months ago

India’s Anti-Manual Scavenging Drive is Faltering, Needs Immediate Intervention

News 18  

Social ostracism and lack of opportunities have forced generations of lower caste families to continue indulging in manual scavenging as their daily job. Not often discussed in mainstream media, however, is that over 95 percent of India’s 1.3 million manual scavengers are women. Most manual scavengers belong to the Dalit community, and it is fairly evident that manual scavenging is …

Supreme Court Asked Centre To File Updated Affidavit In Plea Seeking Criminal Action Against Persons Employing Manual Scavengers Within 3 Weeks
2 years, 5 months ago

Supreme Court Asked Centre To File Updated Affidavit In Plea Seeking Criminal Action Against Persons Employing Manual Scavengers Within 3 Weeks

Live Law  

The Supreme Court, on Thursday, asked the Union Government to file an updated affidavit in a plea seeking initiation of criminal proceedings against officials, agencies, contractors or any other person involved in engaging or employing manual scavengers resulting in their death at work, within a period of 3 weeks. The PIL filed by "Criminal Justice Society of India" also prays …

‘We need both: Gandhi and Ambedkar’, says Bezwada Wilson, who crusades against manual scavenging
2 years, 6 months ago

‘We need both: Gandhi and Ambedkar’, says Bezwada Wilson, who crusades against manual scavenging

The Hindu  

Bezwada Wilson, 56, born in Kolar to manual scavenger parents, has dedicated his life to the cause of eradicating the demeaning practice in India. In this interview, the Ramon Magsaysay awardee talks about caste, patriarchy and manual scavenging, elaborating his relationship to both Gandhi and Ambedkar. Building toilets without supplying sufficient water or proper drainage, converting manual scavenging into ‘sanitation …

Centre to Lok Sabha: No deaths reported due to manual scavenging
2 years, 7 months ago

Centre to Lok Sabha: No deaths reported due to manual scavenging

Hindustan Times  

No deaths have been reported due to manual scavenging and there are no reports of people engaged in manual scavenging in the country, the Centre informed Lok Sabha on Tuesday. “There is no report of people currently engaged in manual scavenging as defined under Section 2 of the “Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 ”. …

The IIT-Madras invention that could put an end to manual scavenging in India
2 years, 8 months ago

The IIT-Madras invention that could put an end to manual scavenging in India

Firstpost  

An IIT-Madras start-up has developed a robotic machine to clean septic tanks and hopes to end the dehumanising pratice of manual scavenging in India. Around 10 units have been distributed in Tamil Nadu, which reported the highest number of deaths of workers cleaning sewers over the last three years The Indian Institute of Technology Madras has developed a robot with …

Manual scavenging continues in different forms in Adilabad
2 years, 11 months ago

Manual scavenging continues in different forms in Adilabad

Deccan Chronicle  

ADILABAD: The banned manual scavenging is continuing in the municipalities in the erstwhile Adilabad district despite the governmental claims to stop this practice. The sanitation workers may not clean the wet toilets but they clean the drainages into which shit flows in various ways. “In practice, the sanitation workers of the municipality clean the drainages in which the human excreta …

Manual scavenging is a blot on society
3 years ago

Manual scavenging is a blot on society

Hindustan Times  

The appalling spectacle of human beings dying inside sewer lines was repeated on the outskirts of the national Capital after four people died in the Samaypur Badli area on Tuesday evening. The victims – private contractor Suraj Sahni, labourers Bachhu Singh and Pintu Raut, and e-rickshaw driver Satish Kumar, who jumped into the manhole to try and save the others …

Manual Scavenging: Madras High Court Directs State To Submit Report On Compensation Paid And Rehabilitation Measures Taken In Four Weeks
3 years, 3 months ago

Manual Scavenging: Madras High Court Directs State To Submit Report On Compensation Paid And Rehabilitation Measures Taken In Four Weeks

Live Law  

Today, Madras High Court has directed the state to submit a report detailing i) the quantum of compensation paid to the families of deceased manual scavengers so far, and ii) rehabilitation measures undertaken for the benefit of family members of those manual scavengers. The court was hearing a batch of petitions preferred seeking directions to ensure the eradication of manual …

Madras High Court Asks State To Consider Revising Quantum Of Compensation For Deaths Of Manual Scavengers
3 years, 4 months ago

Madras High Court Asks State To Consider Revising Quantum Of Compensation For Deaths Of Manual Scavengers

Live Law  

The Madras High Court has observed that the current quantum of compensation payable upon death due to manual scavenging may be inadequate and thus urged the State Government to consider revising the same based on present day cost of living.The Division Bench Of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice P.D. The Madras High Court has observed that the current quantum …

Manual Scavenging: Karnataka High Court Grants State Govt. 30 Days For Formulating Uniform Scheme For Grant Of Scholarship To Children Of Deceased
3 years, 5 months ago

Manual Scavenging: Karnataka High Court Grants State Govt. 30 Days For Formulating Uniform Scheme For Grant Of Scholarship To Children Of Deceased

Live Law  

The Karnataka High Court on Monday directed the State Government to formulate within 30 days a uniform scheme in regards to the grant of scholarships to children and in terms of providing compassionate appointment to legal heirs of deceased, under the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013. Therefore, the state government is granted 30 day's …

Pay Rs 10 lakh compensation each to widows of three septic tank workers: Bombay HC
3 years, 6 months ago

Pay Rs 10 lakh compensation each to widows of three septic tank workers: Bombay HC

India Today  

The Bombay High Court on Friday asked the Maharashtra government if it had carried out a survey identifying manual scavengers across the state and what steps it had taken to rehabilitate them. A division bench of Justices Ujjal Bhuyan and Madhav Jamdar sought to know how many manual scavengers had died at work since 1993 and if the state government …

Karnataka HC tells govt to ensure strict adherence to rules on manual scavenging
3 years, 7 months ago

Karnataka HC tells govt to ensure strict adherence to rules on manual scavenging

Hindustan Times  

Karnataka high court on Monday asked the state government to ensure strict compliance of rules with regard to manual scavenging. A division bench of acting Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Sachin Shankar Magadum said that the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 and the rules must be followed in such cases. “The persons …

No manual scavenging deaths, 941 died while cleaning sewers: Govt
3 years, 7 months ago

No manual scavenging deaths, 941 died while cleaning sewers: Govt

Hindustan Times  

New Delhi: No one succumbed to manual scavenging in India but 941 workers died while cleaning sewers and septic tanks in the last three decades, the government told Parliament on Wednesday, triggering condemnation from activists. However, we have reports regarding deaths of workers while being engaged in cleaning of sewers or septic tanks,” he said, listing out 941 deaths since …

Centre Says No Death Reported Due to Manual Scavenging, Activists Decry Govt Response
3 years, 8 months ago

Centre Says No Death Reported Due to Manual Scavenging, Activists Decry Govt Response

News 18  

No death has been reported due to manual scavenging, the Union Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry has told Parliament, drawing sharp reaction from activists who said that those people were being robbed of dignity even in their deaths. However, on how many deaths of manual scavengers have been recorded, he replied, “No such deaths have been reported due to manual …

Has State Promoted Use Of Modern Technology To Replace Manual Scavenging?Karnataka High Court Asks
4 years ago

Has State Promoted Use Of Modern Technology To Replace Manual Scavenging?Karnataka High Court Asks

Live Law  

The Karnataka High Court has directed the state government to file an affidavit disclosing whether it has discharged its duty to promote, use of modern technology, for cleaning sewers. A division bench of Chief Justice Abhay Oka and Justice S Vishwajith Shetty in its order dated March 16, said "The State Government will place on record whether it has discharged …

Law Students' Plea Seeking Implementation Of Manual Scavengers Act: Allahabad High Court Seeks UP Govt's Response
4 years ago

Law Students' Plea Seeking Implementation Of Manual Scavengers Act: Allahabad High Court Seeks UP Govt's Response

Live Law  

The Allahabad High Court on Thursday directed the Uttar Pradesh Government to file its response in a plea moved seeking implementation of the provisions of the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 in the State of Uttar Pradesh. Having perused the recommendation made in the plea, the Bench of Chief Justice Govind Mathur and Justice …

Madras HC to Initiate Criminal Proceedings Against Civic Chiefs over Manual Scavenging Deaths
4 years ago

Madras HC to Initiate Criminal Proceedings Against Civic Chiefs over Manual Scavenging Deaths

News 18  

Manual scavenging continues to haunt Tamil Nadu. The first bench of the Madras high court represented by Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamurthy ruled that criminal proceedings will be initiated against the civic body chiefs like municipal commissioner or corporation commissioner if people die due to manual scavenging. It is really painful to hear that 6 people have …

Karnataka sweeper ends life after being forced to clean sewage: Why manual scavenging persists in 21st Century India
4 years, 1 month ago

Karnataka sweeper ends life after being forced to clean sewage: Why manual scavenging persists in 21st Century India

Firstpost  

While official figures estimate total 774 deaths between 1993 and March 2019, SKA estimates that nearly 2,000 manual scavengers die every year in the sewers, due to exposure to poisonous gases With one legislation outlawing manual scavenging eight years ago and another in the pipeline, one would think that the inhuman practice having its roots in India’s feudal past was …

Issue Directions To All Authorities To Stop Manual Scavenging : Karnataka High Court Directs State Govt
4 years, 1 month ago

Issue Directions To All Authorities To Stop Manual Scavenging : Karnataka High Court Directs State Govt

Live Law  

The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday suggested to the State government to consider issuing a general direction to all authorities and agencies and instrumentalities of the state for implementation of Rule 3, of The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Rules, 2013. A division bench of Chief Justice Abhay Oka and Justice Sachin Shankar Magadum said "The …

Manual Scavenging Most Inhuman; Violates Article 21 : Karnataka High Court Issues Directions To Implement Manual Scavengers Act 2013
4 years, 3 months ago

Manual Scavenging Most Inhuman; Violates Article 21 : Karnataka High Court Issues Directions To Implement Manual Scavengers Act 2013

Live Law  

The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday issued several directions to the state government to ensure proper implementation of the provisions of the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013. Accordingly, the bench issued the following directions: *The State Government shall place on record the details about the number of First Information Reports registered for the offences …

India’s Shame
4 years, 4 months ago

India’s Shame

The Hindu  

“Shameful”, “degrading”, “dehumanising”, “disgusting”, “obnoxious”, “abhorrent”, a “blot on humanity”—these are some of the words used to describe “manual scavenging”, which in plain language means people lifting human excreta with their hands and carrying the load on their heads, hips or shoulders. Some States refuse to adopt the law, saying that they don’t have any manual scavengers, despite evidence to …

Is The Government Really Serious About Plight Of Manual Scavengers?
4 years, 9 months ago

Is The Government Really Serious About Plight Of Manual Scavengers?

Live Law  

In this piece, I am going to talk about the miseries faced by manual scavengers. The Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines Act, 1993 defines 'manual scavenger' as "a person engaged in or employed for manually carrying human excreta". "manual scavenger" means a person engaged or employed, at the commencement of this Act or at any time …

India's Manual Scavengers Have Been Forgotten In The Covid 19 Narrative
4 years, 11 months ago

India's Manual Scavengers Have Been Forgotten In The Covid 19 Narrative

Live Law  

In India's fight against COVID 19, analysts and healthcare workers have identified groups who might be vulnerable to the infectious disease. More importantly, the practice of Manual Scavenging has been banned in India by promulgation and enactment of the Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines Act, 1993 and 2013. While societal pressure is a concern, economic necessity …

Madras HC Directs State Govt To File Report On Steps Taken For Rehabilitation Of Manual Scavengers [Read Order]
5 years, 1 month ago

Madras HC Directs State Govt To File Report On Steps Taken For Rehabilitation Of Manual Scavengers [Read Order]

Live Law  

The Madras High Court on Monday asked the State government as to what steps have been taken for the rehabilitation of the families of manual scavengers, apart from payment of compensation to bereaved families. The directions have been passed in a batch of writ petitions, filed against the State for failing to curb manual scavenging, resulting into death of several …

Rise of the Machines can end manual scavenging
5 years, 4 months ago

Rise of the Machines can end manual scavenging

Deccan Chronicle  

The death a 25-year-old man in a septic tank on mall premises in Chennai shows that the practice of using human beings to clean sewers and septic tanks in the state continues unabated. In 2017, the Madras high court, while holding that manual scavenging was prima facie a contravention of human rights and the right to live with dignity as …

Telangana State Legal Services Authority Secures Rs 75 Lakh Compensation For Dependents Of Deceased Manual Scavengers
5 years, 4 months ago

Telangana State Legal Services Authority Secures Rs 75 Lakh Compensation For Dependents Of Deceased Manual Scavengers

Live Law  

In a special program held in the premises of the Telangana High Court on Tuesday, Chief Justice Raghvendra Singh Chauhan handed over compensation cheques worth Rs. The move comes in line with the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013, which was enacted after the Supreme Court asked the Centre to abolish manual scavenging. Pursuant to …

In India, manual scavenging is a deadly job. Could a Bandicoot and a Sewer Croc help?
5 years, 5 months ago

In India, manual scavenging is a deadly job. Could a Bandicoot and a Sewer Croc help?

ABC  

They work all day in sewers and latrines, wading through filthy sludge up to their waists. "The Indian government defines a manual scavenger as somebody who physically carries human excreta," says Mumbai-based journalist and author Puja Changoiwala. Also known as "Untouchables", Dalits are the lowest social group in the Hindu caste system — the word itself means "oppressed" or "broken". …

P&H HC Issue Mandatory Directions To Eliminate Manual Scavenging & Insanitary Latrines [Read Order]
5 years, 5 months ago

P&H HC Issue Mandatory Directions To Eliminate Manual Scavenging & Insanitary Latrines [Read Order]

Live Law  

Taking suo motu cognizance of news items published in the 'Sunday Tribune' on, September 29, with regards continuing practice of manual scavenging, the High Court of Punjab and Haryana on Thursday issued detailed "mandatory directions" to eliminate the twin evils of insanitary latrines and manual scavenging. The States shall provide Class IV jobs to the legal heirs of persons who …

Physical agony, mental trauma, death: 4 accounts of what it means to work as a manual scavenger in Tamil Nadu
5 years, 7 months ago

Physical agony, mental trauma, death: 4 accounts of what it means to work as a manual scavenger in Tamil Nadu

Firstpost  

Over the past three years alone, 88 deaths related to manual scavenging have been recorded in India — despite a ban on the practice. The irony was that Manikandan and Thangaraj were two of the three ‘identified’ manual scavengers in the area. After working as a manual scavenger under the Vyasarpadi Slum Clearance Board for eight years, Mani has a …

Delhi High Court seeks answers on manual scavenging
5 years, 8 months ago

Delhi High Court seeks answers on manual scavenging

Hindustan Times  

The Delhi High Court on Friday took serious note of the recent deaths in the city due to manual scavenging and directed all the concerned authorities including the Delhi government, Public Works Department, three civic bodies to file affidavits detailing whether they are hiring people, directly or indirectly through contractors to clean the sewers or not. The court observed that …

India's manual scavengers: Ugly truths of unsanitary sanitation work an open secret, law needs better enforcement
5 years, 9 months ago

India's manual scavengers: Ugly truths of unsanitary sanitation work an open secret, law needs better enforcement

Firstpost  

The perils of manual scavenging will stay unaddressed in India till the casteist attitude of washing their feet or trying to fix this problem from an economic perspective alone remain. *** An open secret Even today, the very existence of manual cleaning of sewers, septic tanks and manholes in our country, along with the alarming death rate among these workers, …

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