New Delhi, Aug. 5 -- Even as nearly 500 sanitation workers have lost their lives while cleaning sewers and septic tanks across the country since 2019, the Union government has maintained that no death due to manual scavenging has been reported during the period, drawing attention to the legal distinction between manual scavenging and hazardous sewer cleaning.
Data placed before the Lok Sabha by Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale, in response to a question by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, shows that 498 workers died while cleaning sewers and septic tanks between January 1, 2019, and June 30, 2026.
The highest number of fatalities was recorded in 2019, with 132 deaths. This was followed by 34 deaths in 2020, 62 in 2021, 88 in 2022, 65 in 2023, 54 in 2024, 47 in 2025 and 16 during the first half of 2026.
The government clarified that these fatalities were categorised as deaths during hazardous sewer and septic tank cleaning rather than manual scavenging. Under existing law, manual scavenging refers to manually handling human excreta from insanitary toilets, open drains, railway tracks or similar locations before it decomposes, whereas hazardous cleaning relates to entering sewers or septic tanks without prescribed safety equipment and protective measures.
The reply also stated that a nationwide survey conducted during 2024-25 did not identify any manual scavengers, following which all districts declared themselves free of the practice. This marks a sharp contrast with earlier surveys conducted in 2013 and 2018, which had identified more than 58,000 manual scavengers across 17 states.
The government said compensation for families of victims has been enhanced from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 30 lakh following a Supreme Court judgment in October 2023. Of the 498 deaths, full compensation of Rs 10 lakh was paid in 345 cases and Rs 30 lakh in 75 cases. However, records showed partial payment in 22 cases, while compensation status could not be confirmed in 56 others.
The Centre also informed Parliament that 89,915 sewer and septic tank workers have been profiled under the National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE) scheme, which provides safety gear, training, insurance and financial assistance for mechanised cleaning. However, no timeline was announced for complete mechanisation of sewer cleaning operations.
Meanwhile, members of the Safai Karamchari Andolan (SKA), sanitation workers and families of victims staged a protest at Jantar Mantar on Tuesday, demanding strict enforcement of the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013, and accountability for deaths during sewer cleaning.
At the protest site, several families who had lost relatives while cleaning sewers and septic tanks demanded stricter enforcement of safety norms and accountability from authorities.
Kamla Devi, whose husband died during a sewer cleaning operation in outer Delhi several years ago, said the loss had left her family struggling financially and emotionally. "No family should have to lose a loved one because someone was sent into a sewer without proper equipment. We have waited years for justice, but nothing changes," she said. Ramesh Kumar, a sanitation worker from northwest Delhi, said many workers continue to enter septic tanks because refusing the job could cost them their livelihood. "People assume we have a choice, but most of us don't. Until every sewer is cleaned by machines, workers will continue to put their lives at risk," he said.
Social activists, who joined the demonstration, said every sewer death reflected a failure to implement existing laws.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.