36 sanitation workers die cleaning sewers in India within 3 months
Rights groups say caste-linked sewer labor and unsafe contractor practices continue despite India’s ban on manual scavenging and deadly toxic sewer deaths
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — At least 36 sanitation workers died while cleaning sewers, septic tanks and drains across India between March and May this year, according to activists who say hazardous caste-linked sanitation labor continues despite legal bans and repeated court interventions.
Deaths were reported from several Indian states, including Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, according to figures presented during a press conference organized by Dalit Adivasi Shakti Adhikar Manch (DASAM) in New Delhi.
Activists said most victims came from historically marginalized Dalit caste communities, particularly Valmiki groups, or from poor migrant labor backgrounds employed through informal contractor systems.
India officially banned manual scavenging — practice of manually cleaning human waste and entering toxic sewage systems — under 2013 law, but rights groups say dangerous sanitation work remains widespread, especially among lower-caste communities historically pushed into sanitation labor under caste hierarchy.
According to activists, many workers died after entering confined underground spaces without oxygen cylinders, gas detectors, breathing equipment or emergency rescue systems.
Several deaths reportedly followed what campaigners described as “rescue-chain fatalities,” where additional workers died attempting to save colleagues who had collapsed inside toxic sewer chambers.
Among incidents highlighted were deaths of four members of the same family inside a septic tank in Bihar’s Vaishali district, three workers who died cleaning a septic tank at another hospital in Chhattisgarh’s Raipur, and multiple sewer deaths linked to contractor-led sanitation operations in other states.
Citing government data presented in Parliament, activists said at least 622 sanitation workers died in sewer and septic tank operations across India between 2017 and early 2026.
Rights groups argue actual figures are likely far higher because many deaths are categorized merely as workplace accidents rather than manual scavenging fatalities.
Dharmendra Bhati, president of Municipal Workers Lal Jhanda Union affiliated with Centre of Indian Trade Unions, accused authorities of falsely claiming sanitation work had been fully mechanized.
“The government claims sanitation work has been mechanized, but reality on ground is very different,” he said, alleging workers continue facing toxic gas exposure without proper safety systems.
Lawyer Kawalpreet Kaur described deaths as “completely unacceptable” despite the existence of anti-manual scavenging laws and Supreme Court directives mandating compensation and mechanized sewer cleaning.
Activists also accused municipal bodies and contractors of avoiding accountability by relying heavily on temporary labor arrangements that deny workers stable wages, healthcare protections and safety equipment.
Campaigners described continuing sewer deaths as a form of “structural caste violence,” arguing that India’s sanitation system still depends heavily on caste-based labor despite decades of legal reform promises.
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