India: A Reality Check: Manual Scavenging

This is the first article in this series India: A Reality Check. The other articles would deal with child labour, unemployment, poverty, caste system etc. With this series I hope to highlight various social, economic and cultural issues prevalent in India today.

Manual Scavenging is the removal of excreta, predominantly human, from dry latrines and sewage pits. Dry latrines are latrines without the modern flush system.

The manual scavengers are basically, the untouchables who belong to the lower levels of the Hindu hierarchy. Though manual scavenging has been banned by a formal act of the parliament, we do not see any action being taken against those employing them. They are forced to do the work which no others would do are paid really low wages. The already exploited are further exploited.

They also undertake the cleaning of manholes, which is a so called employment opportunity provided by the government. Generally, a product or service is priced according to its value. In this context, manual scavenging services are an extreme necessity for the society to keep their houses and roads clean. Unfortunately, since India has a large number of unemployed people living in abject penury, they are willing to do any job. Economics works here, though in an exploitative way. The untouchables are dependent on manual scavenging in order to eat at least one meal a day. The government and the private parties who employ them are also happy. So there is not much outcry on these issues, except when some bold individual writes a book or gives a speech.

Manual scavenging is rooted in caste as surely as caste is rooted in the nation's psyche, says Annie Zaidi in Frontline. The caste system has been a harbinger of many vices to India. Excavations in Lolthal (62 km from Ahmedabad) show that in the Harappan civilisation in 2500 BCE, people had waterborne toilets in each house, which were linked by drains covered by burnt clay bricks. The exact period of the beginning of manual scavenging is not known, though what is known is that, the British both legitimised and systematised manual scavenging, while setting up army cantonments and municipalities. (From Ramaswamy 2005 )

Caste system is the 'fool proof' way for those at the higher levels to remain at the top rungs. Though Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak had developed Sulabh Shauchalaya-technology, which is technologically appropriate, socio-culturally acceptable and economically affordable in 1970, we still find manual scavengers at plenty.

The cities, especially metropolitan cities require the services of manual scavengers in cleaning the man holes. We usually don't see them during the day, because their either work very early in the morning or after mid night. Their condition would not have been aggravated if they had been paid reasonable wages. According to S. Dorairaj they are paid a meager average monthly wage of Rs 20. This lures these manual scavengers into a debt trap, just to stay alive. This restricts the growth of their future generations too.

The government ought to either provide alternative opportunities for employment or pay wages in accordance to the work they do. The private parties need to take this up as a moral issue, and stop construction of dry latrines. What are at stake are the lives of the many generations of these manual scavengers. Sufficient funds need to be allocated for the education of their children and they ought to be given medical benefits, considering the contaminated work they do.