Manual scavenging is an inhuman practice which subsists in our country even after 75 years of independence. Globally, India may have acquired the noble status of world power in the last few years but internally, our country still remains trapped in the clutches of this caste based system of slavery which threatens the very existence of life and dignity of the people practicing it.
Officially, as defined by the law, it is the practice of ‘lifting and removal of human excreta manually’, in private homes, public toilets maintained by municipal authorities or in sewers, septic tanks , drains and even railway tracks. A law was passed by the Government of India in 1993 to abolish this inhumane practice but it still prevailed. Therefore, another prohibition act was passed in 2013. Unfortunately, this practice remains deeply entrenched in the fabric of our society on the grassroot levels. Recently, in a report by the Ministry of Social justice and Empowerment, it has been found that a total of 971 people have lost their lives by inhaling toxic fumes and gases while cleaning septic tanks and sewers since 1993 as no protective gears or cleaning devices were provided to them. The Society and the State should take active interest in this issue immediately before it can claim more lives. Possible options must be taken into consideration to accurately assess and subsequently eradicate this practice.
The biggest contributor in this issue is the Indian Railways. The human waste from trains is disposed of on railway tracks which requires manual cleaning. Railway has turned some toilets into bio-toilets but this still has a long way to go. Another big reason is the absence of a penal provision, inquiry or punishment for the authority in case they failed to fulfil their duties assigned under the act. This gives the authorities leverage to avoid their duties as they are aware that there is no provision for a legal action against them. Nothing much is already done for these people and ineffective implementation of legislation only worsen the situation.
Manual scavenging is a caste based hereditary practice which is usually performed by the Dalits, the lowest strata of people according to the Hindu caste system. Typically, all the practices which are considered ‘dishonourable’ in mainstream communities like sweeping, disposing dead bodies, leatherwork, etc., are usually practiced by the Dalits. This shows a serious issue with our society. To address the social sanction behind manual scavenging, it is required to first acknowledge and then understand how and why manual scavenging continues to be embedded in the caste system. As early as the existence of societies millennia ago, the upper caste communities have very conveniently dissipated the lower caste and forced them to perform unscrupulous tasks. These activities remain within the community and are passed on through generations. No other options are left to people born in these communities to sustain themselves as they are considered ‘polluted’ by birth. This shows how far we have came in this ‘modern’ society when it comes to abolishing untouchability and caste based discrimination.
I feel ashamed to be part of a society where we are letting some people among us clean sewers and human excreta without any regard to their safety. We do not realise that people out there die everyday while making a clean and healthy environment for us. Manual scavenging is allocated to Dalits and strictly enforced as a result of the caste system of India. It saddens me that the mainstream media has never spoken about it due to which a majority of our people are not informed of such vile practices still being performed. Those who know, simply don’t care. It doesn’t matter how much we think we have liberalised, such derogatory practices still prevail and tarnish the very essence of the right to live a dignified life in this independent country.