941 DIED WHILE CLEANING SEWERS, BUT NO DEATHS DUE TO MANUAL SCAVENGING: GOVT

NEW DELHI: No one succumbed to manual scavenging in India but 941 workers died while cleaning sewers and septic tanks in the last three decades, the government told Parliament on Wednesday, triggering condemnation from activists.

Union social justice minister Virendra Kumar also told the Rajya Sabha that 58,098 manual scavengers were identified across the country in two separate surveys in 2013 and 2018.

“There is no report of death due to manual scavenging. However, we have reports regarding deaths of workers while being engaged in cleaning of sewers or septic tanks,” he said, listing out 941 deaths since 1993, when manual scavenging was first banned. Tamil Nadu reported the highest number of such deaths at 213, followed by 153 in Gujarat, 104 in Uttar Pradesh, 98 in Delhi, 84 in Karnataka and 73 in Haryana, the data showed.

In response to another question, Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale said 941 deaths have been recorded since 1993.

Activists and experts condemned the Centre’s response and said the distinction between manual scavenging and people dying in sewers was not practical. “We have always said this is a technicality. This amounts to manipulating data,” said Safai Karmachari Andolan founder Bezwada Wilson.

“The major problem is that the government is not understanding the importance of human dignity and self respect of the most marginalised...”