Manual scavenging in India

Context:

Recently, the Supreme Court of India, in a writ petition, banned manual scavenging in 6 cities (Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, and Hyderabad).

Relevance:
GS02 (Government policies and interventions)

What is manual scavenging?

  • Manual scavenging is the act of handling human excreta manually from drains, septic tanks, and other sanitation systems.
  • It was officially banned in 1993 under the Employment of Manual Scavengers and its Prohibition Act.
  • The practice of manual scavenging dates back to ancient times and was specific to certain castes of India.
  • It is also mentioned as one of the fifteen duties of the slaves in the Naradiya Samhita.
  • Currently, 456 districts out of the total 775 districts have been declared free from manual scavenging.
  • Constitutional and legal framework:
    • Rights are guaranteed by Article 14, Article 17, and Article 21.
    • The Employment of Manual Scavengers and its Prohibition Act 2013 ban manual scavenging.
    • In order to rehabilitate and to ensure the safety and dignity of manual scavengers, the centre implemented NAMASTE (National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem) scheme.

Why is manual scavenging illegal in India?

  • Manual scavenging is linked to the caste system in India, and most of them belong to the Dalit community.
  • Not only toilets but all sorts of cleaning jobs are considered lowly in India, hence the need to ban employment for manual scavengers.
  • It also violates basic human rights and dignity, putting them under serious health hazards.

Way forward:

  • Technology intervention: Many cities in India employ robotics, specifically the “Bandicoot” robot developed by Genrobotics that cleans manholes and septic tanks without human intervention.
    • Homosep Atom: Β India’s 1st septic tank cleaning robot, which is designed by a startup called Solinas. It is an affordable robotic solution integrated with Artificial Intelligence (AI) that cleans, inspects, and manages confined spaces for sanitation purposes.

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