Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Put a stop to manual scavenging' that was published in Newsband

Put a stop to manual scavenging

Manual scavenging refers to the removal of animal or human waste/excreta (night soil) using brooms, tin plates and baskets from dry latrine and carrying it to disposal grounds some distance away. The toilets often used a container that needed to be emptied daily.

Manual scavenging still survives in parts of India without proper sewage systems. In 1970s the state of Karnataka passed a law to ban manual scavenging. The Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993 punishes the employment of scavengers or the construction of dry (non-flush) latrines with imprisonment for up to one year and/or a fine of Rs 2,000.

 However, some municipalities still run public dry-toilets. The biggest violator of this law in India is the Indian Railways which has toilets dropping all the excreta from trains on the tracks and they employ scavengers to clean it manually. India has plans to pass a Bill prohibiting manual scavenging.

There need to be a law that prohibits the employment of manual scavengers and the construction of dry latrines. Manual scavengers were employed to solve public health and sanitation problem. That’s fine! But doesn’t this practice deprive the scavengers of justice, equality and a life of dignity?

This is a debasingly inhuman and iniquitous practice. The government must take measures to restore basic dignity to persons employed as manual scavengers. These scavengers have to face health hazards while manually cleaning sewers and septic tanks. The Indian Railways should also bear the bulk of the blame for contributing to the unsanitary state of stations and tracks. It should not be beyond its capacity to equip trains with systems to manage faecal waste. Allowing manual scavenging is violation of basic human rights.

The action to eliminate manual scavenging and rehabilitate the workers employed in inhuman conditions must be taken up on a war-footing. In some parts of India, the cleaning of choked storm water drains/canals is still being done manually. The government can allocate a portion of its budget to successfully deploy green toilets on all trains. A small surcharge can also be levied on each ticket towards this purpose so that the passengers are also made aware of the need for this initiative.

It is sad to witness some people in India still engaged in manual scavenging - the inhuman slavery - even after 64 years of independence which saw rampant developments and success in the field of science, industries and various other arenas that enabled the country to establish itself firmly, globally. This practice derogates the very existence of human life and dignity. It is high time the government put a stop to such practice.