Data | Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu recorded most sewer-cleaning related deaths in last six years

By Best Plumbers On Sep 4, 2022

Uttar Pradesh, which had the largest proportion of manual scavengers, also reported the highest number of deaths from such workers

A response in Lok Sabha, citing surveys conducted by the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment in 2013 and 2018, mentioned that over 58,000 people are employed in manual cleaning in India. Activists claim that number remains underestimated and that the practice is widespread despite a 2013 law banning such employment. The latest data shows that between 2017 and 2022, 347 workers died while or because of cleaning sewers and septic tanks. Uttar Pradesh, which had the largest proportion of manual scavengers, also reported the highest number of fatalities. Of the total number of workers identified, most were Dalits. While a rehabilitation program has provided workers with one-off compensation, the capital grant has found few takers

Fatalities in sewers

The map shows the state number of manual scavenger deaths reported between 2017 and 2022. Of the 347 workers who died during or because of sewer and septic tank cleaning in 2017-2022 (until July this year), Uttar Pradesh accounted for the highest number (51)

Hover over the charts to find the exact numbers

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Identified workers

According to an April 2022 response from Lok Sabha, more than 55% of the 58,098 manual scavengers identified were from Uttar Pradesh. The chart shows the number of manual scavengers identified in the 17 states where data was available

Caste-wise division of workers

Of the 58,098 manual scavengers identified, more than 40,000 workers belong to Scheduled Castes, while fewer than 1,000 belong to Scheduled Tribes and OBCs combined. The chart shows the box-by-box breakdown of the number of manual scavengers

rehabilitation of workers

The Self-Employment Manual Scavenger Rehabilitation Program (SRMS) is expected to provide a one-time cash grant of ₹40,000, skills development training and capital grants for self-employment projects for workers. The diagram shows the coverage of the system. The government managed to provide cash assistance to the workers, especially in the last three years of the reference period. But the proportion of workers who received a £5,000 capital grant as a loan under the scheme was significantly small over the period

Source: Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha

Also Read: The Ugly Truths of Manual Cleaning