Context:
A social audit commissioned by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has exposed gross negligence in the safety protocols followed during hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks in India. The findings were tabled in Parliament in July 2025.
Key Findings of the Social Audit
- Extent of the Study:
- Covered 54 sewer and septic tank deaths across 17 districts in 8 States and Union Territories during 2022–2023.
- Lack of Safety Gear:
- 49 of 54 workers had no safety equipment at the time of death.
- Only 5 had gloves, and 1 had both gloves and gumboots.
- 47 cases showed no mechanized equipment or safety gear was made available.
- Only 2 cases had equipment, and only 1 worker had received proper training.
- Consent and Employment Practices:
- Consent was not taken in 27 cases, while in 18 cases where it was, no risk counseling was done.
- 38 workers were hired informally (individually/contractually).
- Only 5 workers were directly employed by a government agency.
- 3 workers employed by PSUs were subcontracted to private entities.
- Institutional Failures:
- Agencies lacked equipment readiness in 45 of the 54 cases.
- Partial awareness drives followed only 7 deaths, limited to Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra districts.
National Trends and Government Response
- 150 total deaths from hazardous cleaning were officially recorded in 2022 and 2023.
- The government reiterated that manual scavenging is officially abolished, and focus is now on hazardous cleaning-related fatalities.
- NAMASTE Scheme launched in July 2023 to rehabilitate and support sanitation workers.
- 84,902 workers identified so far under NAMASTE.
- Just over 50% have received PPE kits and safety gear.
