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Sanitation Workers Safety
Sanitation Workers Safety
A consultation was held at NIUA in April 2018 on Sanitation Workers safety, that broadly falls under the popular heading of “manual scavenging” but is not restricted to cleaning of septic tanks alone. Since “manual scavenging” is legislated as a banned activity with penalties, city and town officials deny that it exists. There have been several incidents of deaths and injury of workers engaged in cleaning not only septic tank toilets but also sewers.
The consultation had a presentation made by National Campaign for Dignity and Rights for Sewerage and Allied Workers (NCDARSAW) represented by Ms. Hemlata Kansotia and Mr. Ashok Taank and Mr. Ved Prakash from Delhi Jal Board Sewerage Workers Department Union along with Ms. Sowmyaa Bhardwaj of PRAXIS.
The consultation brought about many hard hitting observations and facts that are usually not addressed in popular reporting on this issue. For example how many workers are engaged in the work on manual cleaning of sewers and septic tanks in Delhi and other cities and towns of India? How is the network sewers cleaned, how is work distributed across divisions and zones, what machines are used and what is their status? How is the manual cleaning work organised in terms of contracting, what about Municipal laws for workers safety and other related issues of training and their health safety?
Th consultation brought out that there could be anywhere from 20 to 30,000 workers engaged in manual cleaning of sewers and septic tanks in Delhi or the NCR. The Union representatives claimed that there were very few deaths in the manual sewer and septage cleaning work prior to the year 2000. More deaths of workers have been reporting since the year 2000 when the number of sanitation workers engaged full time employees of Delhi Jal Board has been falling with no fresh recruitments. That this number of workers has fallen from 7000 to 700. For the 32 Sanitary Divisions of DJB of Delhi, you need to employ approx. 300 workers per Division. While people complain that workers are not doing their job, more and more workers are dying because of poor working conditions and lack of training.
They explained that deaths during sewer cleaning and septic tank emptying happen manual cleaning is still required (there are times when someone has to go in to clear a blockage and our sewer lines are not built to standard size, for allowing mechanical cleaning always, and because there are no employees to guide the new contractual employees on how to do the manual cleaning.
What about the machines? The Union explained that machines were procured and functioned well till the year 2000. Now with a ban on fresh recruitment, the machines have also been lying unused and have rusted.
There is no survey or formal estimate and since these are contractual employees on short informal contracts, there is no formal record of their work. While drains, sewers and septic tanks are being cleaned in Delhi, there is no Register or Formal Record kept even at the DJB level of how many contract workers are employed for this work every month or in a year for how many days.
Then there are many layers of contracting, for a contract worker. Its often the male worker who is hired for manual cleaning. And this worker does not know who has contracted him, owning to several sub contractors and not formal written contracts. The whole process of hiring and employment works on the fear and insecurity of workers, fearing a loss of their employment. People take on this work as a last resort and try to move on to a better job as soon as they can, there is shame and stigma. It is for all these reasons that it is difficult to identify workers engaged in manual cleaning, to make them come in front of camera or give oral statements for the work that they do, their working conditions, health safety, etc.
The consultation deliberated on what needs to be done and came up with the following;
- Need to understand city or ward level challenges of manual cleaning of drains, sewers and septic tanks. The numbers involved, who are these people.
- Need to understand the institutional systems of Water and Sanitation Boards hiring of workers on contracts.
- Understanding Court Judgements and Orders : manual cleaning, on workers safety and on the Manual Scavenging Act. Why they have failed to get implemented.
- To what extent can Technology address/solve the crisis of manual cleaning and workers safety? What other measures are needed?
- How to collaborate and work on this issue with a range of stakeholders?
Resources shared
1. Down the Drain, a participatory video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNsaC2BGGDI
2. Down the Drain, A Study on Occupational and Health Hazards and the Perils of Contracting Faced by Sewerage Workers in Delhi: http://praxisindia.org/pdf/file/Down%20The%20Drain%20Report%20Web%20vers...
3. Voice for Change: Sewerage Workers Negotiating Caste, Dignity and State Apathy: http://praxisindia.org/pdf/file/Voice_for_Change-Sewerage%20workers%20August%201.pdf