Government to amend law to end manual sewer-cleaning for the safety of cleaners – It is mandatory to do sewer cleaning machine all over the country, a big decision for the safety of scavengers

Despite all the steps of the government, the work of manual scavenging and cleaning of sewer without safety equipment has not stopped yet. That is why the Central Government has taken two major decisions. The Ministry of Social Justice is going to make sewer cleaning mandatory by machine. At the same time, the Ministry of Urban Affairs has started the ‘Safai Mitra Security Challenge’, so that no one has to enter the sewer or septic tank.

Many government regulations and Supreme Court decisions prohibit manual scavenging of sewer lines and septic tanks without adequate safety precautions. However, even after this, 800 sweepers have died during the last five years while cleaning sewer lines.

Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri launched the ‘Safai Mitra Suraksha Challenge’ among 243 major cities on the occasion of ‘World Toilet Day’. Speaking at the event, Social Justice and Empowerment Secretary R Subramanian said that a fundamental change in the ‘Prohibition of Employment of Manual Scavengers and Rehabilitation Act’ would be that mechanized sanitation would now be made mandatory.

Subramaniam said that the ministry would not provide funds to contractors or municipalities to purchase machinery, but to the sanitation workers. He said, we want the sanitation workers to own these machines so that they can be used by the municipalities when needed.

Urban Affairs Secretary DS Mishra appealed to the states and city administrations to replace the word manhole with the word machine hole to work on the whole issue. At the same time, the state governments have resolved to mechanize the cleaning operations of all sewer and septic tanks by 31 April 2021.

Despite all the steps of the government, the work of manual scavenging and cleaning of sewer without safety equipment has not stopped yet. That is why the Central Government has taken two major decisions. The Ministry of Social Justice is going to make sewer cleaning mandatory by machine. At the same time, the Ministry of Urban Affairs has started the ‘Safai Mitra Security Challenge’, so that no one has to enter the sewer or septic tank.

Many government regulations and Supreme Court decisions prohibit manual scavenging of sewer lines and septic tanks without adequate safety precautions. However, even after this, 800 sweepers have died during the last five years while cleaning sewer lines.

Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri launched the ‘Safai Mitra Suraksha Challenge’ among 243 major cities on the occasion of ‘World Toilet Day’. Speaking at the event, Social Justice and Empowerment Secretary R Subramanian said that a fundamental change in the ‘Prohibition of Employment of Manual Scavengers and Rehabilitation Act’ would be that mechanized sanitation would now be made mandatory. Subramaniam said that the ministry would not provide funds to contractors or municipalities to purchase machinery, but to the sanitation workers. He said, we want the sanitation workers to own these machines so that they can be used by the municipalities when needed.

Urban Affairs Secretary DS Mishra appealed to the states and city administrations to replace the word manhole with the word machine hole to work on the whole issue. At the same time, the state governments have resolved to mechanize the cleaning operations of all sewer and septic tanks by 31 April 2021.