Manual Scavenging in Vidarbha: Lack of Data and Policy Gaps Persist

thenewsdirt
May 27
6 min read

Vidarbha is often excluded from detailed policy assessments. The issue of manual scavenging remains difficult to quantify, let alone address.

Despite a national legal ban and claims of complete eradication, inconsistencies in data and visible contradictions on the ground suggest a different reality. What emerges is a layered picture of limited documentation, incomplete implementation, and administrative failure.

The last five years have revealed how the lack of region-specific monitoring has weakened Maharashtra’s claims of progress, especially in rural and semi-urban areas of Vidarbha.

Lack of Regional Data Leaves Vidarbha Invisible

Government reports and national surveys continue to present state-level figures without disaggregating data specific to Vidarbha.

This gap in information is one of the biggest obstacles to assessing the presence and scale of manual scavenging in the region.

The 2018 national survey by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment recorded 7,378 manual scavengers in Maharashtra, ranking it second in the country after Uttar Pradesh. However, there is no record of how many of those individuals were from Vidarbha as opposed to areas like Marathwada, Western Maharashtra, or the Mumbai-Pune belt.

The issue extends beyond surveys. The Swachhata Abhiyaan mobile application, launched in December 2020, was designed to capture real-time data on insanitary latrines and manual scavenging incidents. Yet it has recorded no confirmed cases in Maharashtra.

This absence suggests severe underreporting or a failure in digital reporting, particularly in regions like Vidarbha, where digital infrastructure and usage patterns vary widely. Without robust systems to document and verify data from rural and semi-urban areas, policy enforcement becomes nearly impossible.

The National Commission for Safai Karmcharis (NCSK) has also not published region-specific numbers for Vidarbha. Instead, its reports provide only statewide statistics.

This structural issue in documentation has made it difficult to understand local realities, making the region’s sanitation challenges invisible within national and state narratives.

Contradictions Between Policy Claims and Realities

The Government of India maintains that manual scavenging no longer exists. The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013, declares the practice illegal.

However, reports from Maharashtra contradict this official claim. Independent surveys and audits have recorded multiple instances where workers were found cleaning septic tanks without safety equipment, an act classified as manual scavenging under the law.

A survey by the National Resource Centre for Social Audit in Maharashtra documented 20 recent deaths of manual scavengers. These workers had not been provided with proper training or safety gear.

Municipal bodies were found lacking in oversight. These findings raise significant concerns for Vidarbha, where mechanised cleaning is less accessible and administrative oversight is often weaker in rural areas.

Aslam Sayad, coordinator with the Maharashtra State Society for Social Audit and Transparency (MS-SSAT), stated that despite government claims, workers entering septic tanks without protective gear are still effectively engaged in manual scavenging.

In regions like Vidarbha, where infrastructure development has been uneven, such practices are likely to continue unchecked.

The contradiction between law and practice has created a dangerous loophole. While official declarations focus on legal compliance, the lived reality for many sanitation workers remains hazardous and unrecognised. This administrative disconnect has persisted throughout the 2020–2025 period.

Unseen Workforce, Unacknowledged Risk

While no official statistics separate Vidarbha from the rest of Maharashtra, state-wide figures point to a significant number of workers involved in practices banned under national legislation.

The deaths of 56 sanitation workers over three decades in Maharashtra highlight the ongoing dangers these individuals face.

There is no clarity on how many of these incidents occurred in Vidarbha, but given its population size and the prevalence of unmechanised systems, the region cannot be excluded from this trend.

Manual scavenging often continues through generational employment, tied closely to caste-based roles. These social patterns are deeply embedded in rural Vidarbha, where communities have limited access to education, alternate employment, or land. The cycle is sustained by both social pressure and economic necessity.

The Self-Employment Scheme for Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers (SRMS) offers support such as one-time financial assistance, training, and subsidised loans.

However, there is no public record indicating how many people in Vidarbha have benefited from this scheme. In Uttar Pradesh, only 333 out of 11,230 identified manual scavengers received capital subsidies, which points to implementation gaps that may also exist in Maharashtra.

The absence of formal employment contracts, coupled with a lack of safety equipment and insurance, continues to expose workers to unsafe conditions.

Survey findings from across Maharashtra confirm that sanitation workers have often not been trained or equipped for hazardous tasks. Vidarbha, with its weaker industrial base and limited public spending in rural regions, is likely facing the same, if not worse, conditions.

Failures in Monitoring and Enforcement

The failure to address manual scavenging in Vidarbha is rooted not only in social neglect but in policy enforcement breakdowns. The 2013 law mandates imprisonment and fines for violators, yet few cases have resulted in prosecution.

District administrations across Maharashtra, including those in Vidarbha, have not consistently uploaded data on insanitary latrines or declared districts free of manual scavenging.

The central government noted that 246 districts nationwide had not complied with reporting requirements or declared themselves free of manual scavenging. Vidarbha districts are likely part of this group, though the data remains unpublished. The result is a lack of transparency and accountability, further distancing policy objectives from actual conditions.

In 2024, Maharashtra announced a ₹400 crore policy plan to address manual scavenging, following pressure from the central government and independent audit bodies.

The new plan includes several key recommendations from the National Resource Centre for Social Audit, including formalising employment for sanitation workers, promoting mechanisation, enforcing legal protections, and setting up sanitation response units.

However, the successful implementation of this policy in Vidarbha will require addressing region-specific obstacles. Many towns and villages still lack access to proper sewer systems. Mechanised tankers are either unavailable or unaffordable.

Reporting structures are weak, and grievance redressal mechanisms are poorly developed.

The social and economic structure in Vidarbha complicates rehabilitation efforts. Without dedicated monitoring teams, regional surveys, and public documentation, the policy risks remaining a symbolic gesture. Audit agencies have repeatedly stressed the need for localised implementation, but administrative response in Vidarbha remains inadequate.

Social Discrimination Remains a Barrier

Caste-based employment patterns have ensured that manual scavenging remains concentrated among specific marginalised communities.

This occupational segregation continues to operate through informal social contracts, especially in semi-urban and rural areas where community boundaries are strongly defined.

Vidarbha’s social structure, shaped by caste hierarchies and limited economic opportunities, reinforces this division.

Families associated with sanitation work often face barriers to education, formal employment, and social mobility. Even children of workers encounter discrimination in schools and social spaces. These intergenerational challenges are exacerbated by the absence of targeted social welfare initiatives that address the stigma associated with the occupation.

The lack of formal registration of sanitation workers in Maharashtra has left many without access to government welfare schemes, including insurance, pensions, or healthcare.

Workers in Vidarbha, already facing limited administrative outreach, are particularly vulnerable. The unorganised nature of this workforce makes it difficult for them to claim rights or benefits under labour laws.

The health risks associated with manual scavenging are well documented. Fatalities caused by exposure to toxic gases, skin infections, and respiratory problems continue to be reported.

Maharashtra’s survey of recent deaths highlighted the absence of protective equipment and the lack of accountability by contractors and local bodies. These same risks are faced by workers in Vidarbha who operate in unregulated and unsupported environments.

The ongoing practice of manual scavenging in Maharashtra challenges the narrative of its eradication. In Vidarbha, the lack of disaggregated data, weak enforcement, and limited visibility have allowed this issue to remain unaddressed for years.

Legal bans and policy promises have not translated into measurable outcomes on the ground.

Without region-specific monitoring systems, Vidarbha remains underrepresented in assessments and excluded from targeted policy responses.

The newly announced ₹400 crore plan presents a chance to correct these failures. Whether this opportunity will result in structural change or remain confined to paperwork depends on administrative willingness to document, intervene, and act across all regions, including those yet to be counted.