Opinion The grim reality of Swachh Bharat: Dalit sanitation workers still die in septic tanks across India
Local authorities must provide the protective gear needed for such work. People from across castes should participate in waste management; they will do so if the profits that accrue from the economy of waste management reach those who perform these hazardous tasks
It is abject poverty that forces Dalits and other underprivileged into the septic tanks. Reports have shown that hey are not given the protective gear mandated by law According to a PIB release of December 16, more than 470 sanitation workers have lost their lives due to hazardous cleaning of sewer and septic tanks between 2019 and October 2025. The data for these tragedies is provided by the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
Despite a law in place, several Clean India missions since 1954, orders from the executive and some coverage in the media, the level of our indifference towards the people who clean our septic tanks knows no limits. It is abject poverty that forces Dalits and other underprivileged into the septic tanks. Several reports, including in this newspaper, have shown that they are not given the protective gear mandated by law. Given the country’s tall claims in the world of technology and AI, why can’t the whole process be mechanised? Also, why is it still largely the responsibility of only Dalits to undertake waste-management and handle human excreta?
On September 19, the Supreme Court slapped a fine of Rs 5 lakh on the PWD of Delhi because it allowed labourers, including a minor, to clean the Supreme Court sewer drains manually. If this could happen under the nose of the Court itself, what might be happening elsewhere? A day before, as reported by this newspaper, a 40-year-old man named Arvind died and three others were critically injured while cleaning sewer pipes inside a manhole in Ashok Vihar, Delhi. Arvind leaves two children behind. Will we ever watch over them and ensure their welfare? Will we hear about Sonu, Narayan and Naresh who were with Arvind when cleaning the sewer pipes and who are in the ICU recovering from the suffocation of the septic tank? If this is what happens in the heart of the capital ruled by a triple-engine sarkar, one can imagine what could potentially be happening in the cities, towns, and villages across India.
This is not to say that the situation has been any better in any regime. In terms of the data provided by the central Government, on an average, close to 70 people die every year in septic tanks. States that take the lead in this completely avoidable loss of life include Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh. There may be no intent to kill but these deaths are as close to homicide as possible because the companies, contractors and individuals behind these deaths are aware of the potential of imminent death.
The 2013 Act was not just about the dignity of SC, ST and OBC castes; it was also about rehabilitating the people and the families engaged in manual scavenging. The offences under this Act are cognisable and non-bailable and, as per Clauses 21-23 of the Act, the executive magistrate is authorised to act as a judicial magistrate. While he is empowered to conduct a summary trial, there can be no trial without an FIR and a chargesheet. The Act only provides for a fine of Rs 50,000 or one-year jail sentence. And yet, has anyone been ever punished under this law?
According to Section 31 of the 2013 Act, the National Commission for Safai Karamcharis can take suo-motu notice of any violation and monitor the implementation of the Act. But are any serious steps taken towards rehabilitating these workers and their families? A one-time capital subsidy or some cash assistance or some skill-development project is not likely to resolve an issue that dehumanises a section of our society.
If we wish to fulfil the constitutional obligation of ensuring dignity for all citizens, we must take urgent steps. Most of all, local authorities must provide the protective gear needed for such work. People from across castes should participate in waste management; they will do so if the profits that accrue from the economy of waste management reach those who perform these hazardous tasks. Finally, the punishment for violations must be enhanced in the 2013 Act. It must ensure that people behind septic tank deaths are booked and FIRs are lodged against them. They should be tried and the punishments must be exemplary enough to become a deterrent.
The recent Swachh Bharat Mission (2014) is only a modern version of the sanitation programmes launched by the government of India in 1954 and 1986 and the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan of 2012. India has for long tried to become an open defecation-free country with a systematic arrangement of solid waste management. The journey is every now and then being punctuated by the deaths of Dalits who are forced to clean our sewerage pipes and septic tanks.
The author retired as professor from Delhi University
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