Govt Says Septic Tank Cleaning Not Caste-Based Work, Data Shows 92% Workers From SC, ST, OBC Communities

New Delhi: The Union government has told the Parliament that sewer and septic tank cleaning is “occupation-based activity” instead of being caste-based work.

The Union Social Justice Ministry on Tuesday (December 17) furnished this detail in the parliament on Tuesday (December 18) citing its first-ever survey of sewer and septic tank workers (SSWs) across cities and towns of India, reported The Hindu.

Union Minister of State for Social Justice Ramdas Athawale said in reply to a question by Congress MP Kuldeep Indora that of the 54,574 SSWs across 33 States and Union Territories who have been profiled and validated so far under the government’s NAMASTE programme, 67.91% (37,060) were from scheduled caste communities, 15.73% (8,587) were from OBC communities, 8.31% (4,536) were from scheduled tribe communities, and 8.05% (4,391) were from the General Category.

“Sewer and septic tank cleaning is an occupation-based activity rather than caste-based,” Athawale said in the parliament.

However, the data reveals that nearly 92% of SSWs across the country are from SC, ST and OBC communities.

According to government data tabled in Parliament, at least 377 people across the country died from hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks between 2019 and 2023.

The Union government has maintained that manual scavenging as a practice has ended the issue of hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks needs to be addressed. This rationale draws this distinction based on a technical difference in how manual scavenging and hazardous cleaning are defined in the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act.

The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.