Swachh Bharat: Why is manual scavenging still prevalent?

1,80,657 people still work as manual scavengers, highest are from Maharashtra: SECC

GN Bureau | August 3, 2015


#manual scavenging   #manual scavenging up   #swachh bharat manual scavenging   #secc manual scavenging  


India has 1,80,657 manual scavengers, reveals the socio-economic caste census. Going by the SECC data it is evident that Maharashtra has the highest number of manual scavengers with 63,713 people still engaged in the practice of cleaning human excreta manually.

Following Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh has second highest number of manual scavengers.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan of building a modern day toilet for each house may help abolish this age old practice and help rehabilitate manual scavengers. But given the number of dry/open toilets and lack of proper sewage facility, the current picture is somewhat disturbing. (Only Chandigarh, Assam and Goa are the states where there are no manual scavengers, as mentioned in SECC)



What is Manual Scavenging?
It is the practice of manual cleaning of human excreta from service/ dry latrines. The scavengers crawl into the dry latrines and collect the human excreta with their bare hands, carry it as head-load in a container to dispose it off. It also includes manual cleaning of choked gutters and sewage pipelines.


Who are Manual Scavengers?
It is a caste based profession, which is handed down from one generation to the next. This community which is considered ‘lower-caste’ is untouched by technological advancement in sanitary practices. Their basic cleaning tools include broom, buckets and baskets.

According to Sulabh International, they are the most oppressed and suppressed class of Indian society – hated, ostracized, vilified and avoided by all other castes and classes. The appalling hardship, humiliation and exploitation they face, have no parallel in human history. The practice started in the Pauranic period continued in the Buddhist, Mauryan, Mughal and British periods.The practice started in the Pauranic period continued in the Buddhist, Mauryan, Mughal and British periods.


Fast Fact:

In 1993, India banned the employment of people as manual scavengers. In 2013, landmark new legislation in the form of the Manual Scavengers Act was passed which seeks to reinforce this ban by prohibiting manual scavenging in all forms and ensures the rehabilitation of manual scavengers to be identified through a mandatory survey.

Despite the ban and technological advancement, manual scavenging is still prevalent in the country.  According to the 2011 census, there are more than 2.6 million dry latrines in the country. There are 13,14,652 toilets where human excreta is flushed in open drains, 7,94,390 dry latrines where the human excreta is cleaned manually. About 73 percent of these are in rural areas and 27 percent are in urban areas.

Comments

 

Other News

How the PMO functions under Modi’s leadership

PMO: Prime Minister’s Office Through the Years By Himanshu Roy Rupa Books, 192 pages, Rs 495   The Prime Minister

Unlocking India’s women workforce potential

Unlocking India’s women workforce potential Checks and Balances: Geetanjali Minhas discusses challenges in breaking the glass ceiling with three achievers Women, Gender, judiciary, politics, business, law Even though half of India’s population is mad

Pahalgam and after: Is India preparing to hit Pakistan hard?

India, boiling in anger after the brutal killing of 26 tourists in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir by terrorists belonging to `The Resistance Front` (TRF), an offshoot of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, is preparing for a major offensive against the perpetrators and their handlers across the border. A st

After Pahalgam: “All forces to maintain high vigil”

Recognizing the seriousness of the Pahalgam terrorist attack this week, India has sent out a strong signal to Pakistan to stop supporting cross-border tourism by taking a number of steps including suspending the Indus Water Treaty. The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), which is chaired by

How Ayurveda and Yoga can help heal common ailments

Healing Revolution: Defeat 100 Ailments with Ayurveda, Yoga and Lifestyle By Ram K. Sharma Rupa Books, 272 pages, Rs 395

Green cities: A pathway to sustainability

As the world observes Earth Day on April 22, the imperative for sustainable urban development has never been more pressing. Urban areas contribute approximately 70% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (UN-Habitat Report, 2023). In India, the urban population is projected to reach 800 million by 2050 (

Visionary Talk: Amitabh Gupta, Pune Police Commissioner with Kailashnath Adhikari, MD, Governance Now



Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter