Data shows 92% septic tank cleaning workers from SC, ST, OBC; Govt says not caste-based work

New Delhi: The Union government has informed Parliament that cleaning septic tanks and sewers is a “job-based activity” and not a caste-based activity. According to The Hindu, the Union Ministry of Social Justice submitted this information to Parliament on Tuesday, December 18, citing its first-ever assessment of sewerage and septic tank workers (SSWs) in Indian cities and towns.

Responding to a query by Congress MP Kuldeep Indora, Union Minister of State for Social Justice Ramdas Athawale said that of the 54,574 SSWs from 33 states and Union Territories profiled and validated so far under the government's NAMASTE program, 67.91% (37,060) came from scheduled caste communities, 15.73% (8,587) came from OBC communities, 8.31% (4,536) were from scheduled tribal communities and 8.05% (4,391) were in the general category, The Wire reported.

“Cleaning of sewers and septic tanks is a job-based activity and not a caste-based activity,” Athawale said in Parliament.

Nevertheless, the data shows that SC, ST and OBC populations account for approximately 92% of SSWs nationwide. According to government data presented to Parliament, at least 377 people died nationwide from dangerous cleaning of septic tanks and sewers between 2019 and 2023.

The Union administration has insisted that manual flushing as a practice must come to an end and the issue of hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks must be addressed.

The ban on employment as manual scavengers and their rehabilitation law define hazardous cleaning and manual scavengers differently, which is the basis for this distinction.