Ugly truth: Manual scavenging is for real
Neha Lalchandani
|
New Delhi:
|
With only two weeks left for the monsoon to hit the city, desilting of drains by civic bodies and land-owning agencies is on at a frenetic pace.In Sultanpuri, 19-year-old Mohit, his shorts rolled up to almost invisibility and shirt open at the neck, jumps down an open manhole and, with the aid of a hoe, proceeds to pull out the muck that has been piling for months. Mohit, a manual scavenger, is working on daily wages to clear the city's underbelly , wading through silt, faeces and sewage without a single protective cover.
Manual scavenging is banned in Delhi, yet there are several others like Mohit, all of whom belong to the schedule caste of Valmikis, who are carrying out this work day-by-day each year, some of them even losing their lives in the process.
The founder of NGO Impasse in Sultanpuri, Ajay Raaj said that most manual scavengers do this work for about two months before monso on, which is when the maximum desilting of drains takes place. “They do this work for Rs 300 per day but get barely half since the contractors keep some of it. Many of them have to pay to get this work. In Sultanpuri, most such workers live in the slums having migrated from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh several years ago,“ he said.
Delhi banned scavenging in 2013, while the Employment of Manual Scavenging and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993 prohibits hiring people for manually carrying human excreta and construction or maintenance of dry latrines.Manual scavenging not just includes cleaning of drains, but also septic tanks and insanitary toilets that contain untreated sewage and human waste.
Interestingly, all government agencies claim that manual scavenging is either not taking place at all or there is little taking place, and that too under supervision. Delhi Jal Board said it has moved to mechanised cleaning, while PWD claims it has been using machines with very small drains being cleaned manually. The three municipal corporations say there is negligible manual scavenging.
Delhi government has, thankfully , refused to accept these claims. The urban development department has asked the agencies to map every district, zone and ward for sa nitary toilets to see where septic tanks are still in use.“Almost 50% of the city is not connected to the sewer system, which makes it evident that manual scavenging is still taking place. But we will be able to issue regulatory directions only when we have data,“ said a senior official. “Due to the high cost of ta king a sewer connection, there are still households without toilets. In areas where DJB has sewers, we are going to start a campaign to first motivate people to take up the connection and later force them,“ added the official.
When manual scavenging was not outlawed, safety measures had to be taken before any individual was asked to step into a drain or pit. This included safety harness, gloves, boots, body oil to keep the muck off, among other equipment.
“In the absence of equipment, a common practice is to give cheap alcohol to the labourer who, after consuming it, won't realise the kind of waste he has to wade into,“ said Harnam Singh, former chairperson of Delhi Safai Karamchari Ayog.
“These workers are not gi ven any medical insurance even though their job results in infections and other diseases. There is no monitoring by senior staff. If the work has been allocated to a contractor, it is the responsibility of the government if there is any mishap,“ Singh added.
Manual scavenging is banned in Delhi, yet there are several others like Mohit, all of whom belong to the schedule caste of Valmikis, who are carrying out this work day-by-day each year, some of them even losing their lives in the process.
The founder of NGO Impasse in Sultanpuri, Ajay Raaj said that most manual scavengers do this work for about two months before monso on, which is when the maximum desilting of drains takes place. “They do this work for Rs 300 per day but get barely half since the contractors keep some of it. Many of them have to pay to get this work. In Sultanpuri, most such workers live in the slums having migrated from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh several years ago,“ he said.
Delhi banned scavenging in 2013, while the Employment of Manual Scavenging and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993 prohibits hiring people for manually carrying human excreta and construction or maintenance of dry latrines.Manual scavenging not just includes cleaning of drains, but also septic tanks and insanitary toilets that contain untreated sewage and human waste.
Interestingly, all government agencies claim that manual scavenging is either not taking place at all or there is little taking place, and that too under supervision. Delhi Jal Board said it has moved to mechanised cleaning, while PWD claims it has been using machines with very small drains being cleaned manually. The three municipal corporations say there is negligible manual scavenging.
Delhi government has, thankfully , refused to accept these claims. The urban development department has asked the agencies to map every district, zone and ward for sa nitary toilets to see where septic tanks are still in use.“Almost 50% of the city is not connected to the sewer system, which makes it evident that manual scavenging is still taking place. But we will be able to issue regulatory directions only when we have data,“ said a senior official. “Due to the high cost of ta king a sewer connection, there are still households without toilets. In areas where DJB has sewers, we are going to start a campaign to first motivate people to take up the connection and later force them,“ added the official.
When manual scavenging was not outlawed, safety measures had to be taken before any individual was asked to step into a drain or pit. This included safety harness, gloves, boots, body oil to keep the muck off, among other equipment.
“In the absence of equipment, a common practice is to give cheap alcohol to the labourer who, after consuming it, won't realise the kind of waste he has to wade into,“ said Harnam Singh, former chairperson of Delhi Safai Karamchari Ayog.
“These workers are not gi ven any medical insurance even though their job results in infections and other diseases. There is no monitoring by senior staff. If the work has been allocated to a contractor, it is the responsibility of the government if there is any mishap,“ Singh added.
Source: Times of India, 16-05-2016
