Manual Scavenging in India and the Fight for Human Dignity
Words by Aashika Shivangi Singh
Welcome to the Brown History Newsletter. If you’re enjoying this labor of love, please do consider becoming a paid subscriber. Your contribution would help pay the writers and illustrators and support this weekly publication. If you like to submit a writing piece, please send me a pitch by email at brownhistory1947@gmail.com.
Don’t forget to check out our SHOP and our Podcast
Recommended Reads:
Manual Scavenging in India and the Fight for Human Dignity
One rainy day in my city, Mathura, India, when I was in the market, I saw a few people cleaning the market's drainage and manholes with their bare hands. They were collecting garbage and human waste by going into the drain and unclogging it with their bare hands. No one in the world would willingly touch, let alone handle, such repugnant matter with bare hands. Yet, in India, this practice, known as ‘manual scavenging’, the people who do this work are called mehtar/safai karmi/koodhewala (manual scavengers), has persisted for ages. Manual scavenging is manually cleaning, carrying, disposing of, or otherwise handling, human excreta from insanitary latrines, open drains, sewers, septic tanks, or pits. Despite being officially banned, manual scavenging persists to this day. Government data reveals that around 400 manual scavengers have died while cleaning septic tanks between 2018 and 2023. However, I believe the actual number of deaths, many of which go unreported, far exceeds this figure.
It is crucial to understand who these individuals are and what percentage of them are involved in this practice, which encompasses more than just handling human waste. Alongside the physical labor, they endure severe social exclusion. This issue is deeply entwined with India's well-known social stratification based on castes, where those engaged in manual scavenging often belong to the most marginalized and oppressed communities.