Manual Scavenging: Laws, Rehabilitation, and End of Practice

Introduction

Manual scavenging - the manual cleaning, carrying, or disposal of human excreta from dry latrines, septic tanks, and sewers - is one of India's most dehumanizing practices, rooted in the caste system. Despite the Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993 and the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013, the practice persists. This note examines the legal framework, ground realities, rehabilitation efforts, and the path to eradication.

What is Manual Scavenging?

Definition (2013 Act)

"Manual scavenger" means a person engaged in or employed for manually carrying human excreta or removing it from:

• Dry latrines
• Open drains
• Railway tracks
• Sewers or septic tanks (without protective gear)

Allied Hazardous Cleaning

• Manual sewer cleaning: Entering sewers without safety equipment
• Septic tank cleaning: Without protective gear
• Railway track cleaning: Manual removal of human waste from tracks
• Dry latrine cleaning: Traditional occupation of scavenging communities

Caste Linkage

• Traditional communities: Valmiki, Bhangi, Mehtar, Chuhra, Lal Begi, etc.
• Social hierarchy: At the bottom of the caste hierarchy
• Intergenerational bondage: Occupations inherited...