It is a sunny day in Bhagalpur town of present-day Bihar, kids of age 6 or 7 are playing hopscotch outside their shanty houses, that’s when they see 2 men walk towards them who then asked them to move aside making sure they don’t come in contact with them. The two men then hop inside the open drain, every time they re-emerge on the surface after manual scavenging, it looked like degradation wrapped around a human body gasping for fresh air.
Origin Of Manual Scavenging In India
The origin of manual scavenging in India goes back a few centuries. Its roots lie in the birth-based occupation structure wherein sub-castes within Dalits were forced to live a life of degradation. The system became more concrete after the coming of the Mughals, Mughal women under purdah system had in closed toilets that needed to be scavenged, later modern flush toilets came to the forefront with the advent of the East India Company, but by this time, it was too late to go to give up the old ways. By now, most houses that adopted outhouses or dry latrines that required to be scavenged. Manual scavengers are known by different names in different regions, often called Phakis in Andra Pradesh, Bhangis in Uttar Pradesh, Balmiki in Haryana among others. However, while they’re called by different names in varied areas, their identity remains blurred for most of the world.
Life Of A Manual Scavenger
Work-life of a manual scavenger is demeaning and Inhumane. Most often they jump inside the drains without any equipment and the stench is unbearable. Lack of technical intervention makes the lives of those involved in this inhumane occupation a hardship. Human faeces and urine are carriers of Hepatitis A, Rotavirus, and E.coli exposing the workers to cholera, typhoid, hepatitis, tuberculosis, and a range of other diseases. This makes their life a heavy pill to swallow as they face multiple atrocities, in the hands of the general public where the perception revolves around untouchability, perversion and pollution. Their occupation is deeply attached to their caste, it is only the sub-castes among the Dalits who are occupied in the process. Those involved in manual scavenging hardly get a reasonable income, ranging from Rs. 50 to Rs 100, after cleaning about 40-50 toilets is less than the bare minimum. Without any safety net to fall back to, the occupation brings misery from all quarters.
Death Of Manual Scavengers
The practice is driven by caste, class and income divide and the cornerstone of untouchability in the country. The number of those who died in septic tanks has multiplied in the past years, in the year 2019, around 110 people lost their lives in the tanks. This is a 61% increase from 2018 data available to us. Most of those who die in septic tanks die of toxic fumes and asphyxiation. Even though the government promises a compensation of 10 lake rupees, it is imperative that in several cases there has been no compensation in the hands of those who lose their kin.
Government Intervention
The Protection of Civil Rights Act, known as Untouchability (Offences) Act, 1955, The Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, remains the earliest legislation that made the practice of untouchability a cognizable and non-compoundable offence. The Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993, prohibited the construction of dry latrines and employment of manual scavengers but the reality is, that the menace continues. Due to lack of technical intervention by the state, the burden on manual scavengers remains unchallenged, even though the act is non-bailable, those involved in manual scavenging come from a deeply marginalised stratum of society where they find it difficult to fight legal battles. Lack of awareness with respect to rights is another issue. In the current light of events, it becomes ever more important to empower those who find it hard to empower themselves.
Abolition of Social Stigma
Any social stigma is hard to overcome in a day, month or a few years. It takes a multi-pronged approach to overcome biases that plague any given society. Gandhi Ji once said, “My fight against untouchability is a fight against the impure in society” in his words it is evident that untouchability persisted for decades in Indian society and hence it becomes even more important for the present generation to take stringent steps to permanently eradicate the menace of manual scavenging and the taboos attached to those who engage in the occupation. The larger question is, what can we do as civil society? What is in our hand? What’s in our hand is the boon of technology, technology has connected the world ever more in the last few years, we can use the medium of social media to bring forward the issues of those whose lives have been under great stress for centuries altogether. Dialogue is the first step to any change, we need to educate our children about the ills of our society and inculcate common empathy and respect for individuals regardless of their social status. Schools need to inculcate coursework that helps them appreciate their surroundings and the people who contribute to that very society. Over the time, we as a society might’ve accustomed to the changing ways but as long as people around us live a life of degradation none of us is truly independent even though we’ve entered the 75th year of independence.
Way Ahead
Technical interventions to replace manual scavenging is the need of the hour. For instance, the Water Supply and Sewage Board of Hyderabad is currently using mini jetting machines to clean choked water pipes in the narrow alleys. Whereas in Kerala, engineers designed robots that can clean septic tanks. Further, the use of anaerobic bacteria to treat human excreta has been explored but research on it needs more funding. Apart from the use of technology, there is a need for an overhaul holistic approach towards designing rehabilitation schemes, keeping women in mind to make sure they have alternate sources of employment. The best way forward would be to converge existing government employment schemes, such as Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA), 2005 with PEMSR Act 2013. It is a sensible option for the liberation of scavengers to be guaranteed employment for at least 100 days in a year. Continuous audit of the steps taken
in accordance is another step in the right direction, social sector schemes specifically for the rehabilitation of manual scavengers is the way to go, otherwise one size fit approach hardly gives any dividends, scholarships for young children of manual scavengers and provision to complete schooling to those who dropped out of school early in life is required to not only rehabilitate scavengers but also to ensure that this liberation is lasting in nature.
At this note we must work towards realising the words of Dr Ambedkar, he once said –
“Unlike a drop of water that loses its identity when it joins the ocean, man does not lose his being on the society in which he lives. Man’s life is independent. He is born not for the development of the society alone, but the development of his self”
The quote in the end perfectly sums up the arguments laid by the writer. There is no space for such a dehumanizing job in a developing country like ours. Unfortunately, not much has been done to tackle it and what has been done is not implemented well.
A grave topic expressed and discussed thoroughly with a well written article. We need more such articles on scavenging. Way to go Trisha!