A total of 1,248 individuals have tragically lost their lives while cleaning sewers and septic tanks across India since 1993, the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment revealed in Parliament on Thursday.
The official data were presented in the Rajya Sabha by Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Ramdas Athawale, shedding light on the continuing dangers faced by workers involved in hazardous sanitation jobs.
Tamil Nadu reported the highest number of fatalities, with 253 deaths, followed by Gujarat at 183, Uttar Pradesh at 133, and Delhi at 116. These figures reflect the ongoing risks faced by manual workers in the sanitation sector, many of whom are engaged in the dangerous task of sewer cleaning, which often lacks proper safety equipment and training.
In response to a separate query, Athawale clarified that no deaths have been reported due to manual scavenging—the practice of lifting human excreta from insanitary latrines—since the passage of the law in 2013. He emphasised that under the legislation, it is illegal for anyone or any agency to engage or employ individuals for manual scavenging.
Any violation of this law, he shared, is punishable with imprisonment of up to two years or a fine of up to Rs 1 lakh, or both.
Athawale further mentioned that no reports of manual scavenging have been received from districts, suggesting that the practice has largely been curtailed. However, the death toll from sewer and septic tank cleaning indicates that safety measures for sanitation workers remain a critical issue.
