48 workers died while cleaning septic tanks in 2022, highest in Haryana

Vibha Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 13

As many as 48 workers, including four in Delhi and 13 in Haryana—the highest in the country—died while cleaning septic tanks in 2022, Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale told the Lok Sabha in a written reply.   

The minister said the Government takes a serious cognisance of the deaths occurring due to hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks and non observance of safety precautions as prescribed under the “Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Rules, 2013”.

According to state-wise details of the past five and the current year, Athawale said 48 persons are reported to have died due to hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks during in the current year, including 13 in Haryana, four in Delhi, 12 in Maharashtra, 10 in Tamil Nadu, four in Uttar Pradesh, three in Andhra Pradesh and two in Gujarat.

The deaths, year-wise, are 100 in 2017, 67 in 2018, 117 in 2019, 19 in 2020, 49 in 2021 and 48 in 2022. In Haryana, 11 deaths were reported in 2017, six in 2018, 16 in 2019, nil in 2020, five in 2021 and 13 in 2022. The lowest number of deaths appears to have been reported in the Covid pandemic year 2020 while the country was under a lockdown.

Athawala said his ministry has formulated “National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem” (NAMASTE) particularly to stop deaths of Sewers and Septic Tank Workers (SSWs).

“NAMASTE intends formalization of system of cleaning of sewers and septic tanks operations so that only trained workers are engaged in cleaning of sewers and septic tanks and no person loses life due to hazardous cleaning,” he said in response to the question by BSP MP Danish Ali who wanted to know the number and reasons behind septic tanks cleaning workers working in pitiable conditions and losing their lives while working and steps to stop such incidents.