Unclogging The System

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Despite the ban on manual scavenging, there continues to be thousands of fatalities since 1993. With workers still engaged in sewer cleaning, the gap between policy and practice remains stark. While machines and technologies like Kerala’s Bandicoot robot offer hope, questions about implementation and accessibility persist. Can this technological shift finally bring dignity and safety to sanitation work, or is a deeper systemic change needed to eradicate this practice?

Source: The Indian Express

Gujarat reported around 12 deaths of manual scavengers inside sewage lines from March to April this year, many of them coming from smaller cities. The state has had the 2nd highest incidence of cleaning worker fatalities in India over the past 3 decades. As per Gujarat High Court’s order, the head of the concerned authority, be it a municipal corporation, municipality, or panchayat, will be held responsible if any person is found to be engaged in the practice.

As per the recent numbers, there are 58,098 manual scavengers in India, and around 1,035 have died while cleaning sewers since 1993. The numbers are concerning, as manual scavenging is banned in India under the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act 2013.

As per the law, any person/agency who engages any person for manual scavenging can face imprisonment of up to two years, a fine of up to Rs. 1 lakh or both. But the law faces poor implementation. The law further directed the civic bodies to conduct a survey of the number of people engaged in such work within 2 months of the enforcement of the Act. Many of the municipal corporations underreported the actual numbers.

Source: Deccan Herald

For example, in a 2013 survey, Dhule MC claimed to have zero manual scavengers, but a 2018 survey identified 230 manual scavengers in the city.

Lately, the Union government is giving a push to machine cleaning of manholes. As announced in Budget 2023, all cities and towns will be enabled for 100% mechanical de-sludging of septic tanks and sewers with an intent to put an end to manual scavenging. But it is reported that the vehicle-mounted machines are not 100% successful in unclogging drains and also face issues such as accessibility based on road width or terrains.

Kerala has become the first state in India to use robotic technology called Bandicoot to clean its sewers. Bandicoot was launched in 2018 to clean the manholes in Trivandrum and Ernakulam. Recently, it has been launched in Guruvayur town. Other cities, including Prayagraj and Pune, have also deployed Bandicoot for sewer cleaning.

Can it benefit from such technologies? To know more, read.

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