Caste, Private Agencies, and Public Apathy

A recent investigation has highlighted the tragic deaths of 94 sewer cleaning workers in Delhi over the past 15 years, with 10 deaths occurring in just the last seven months. Despite laws prohibiting hazardous sewer cleaning, such deaths continue, raising critical questions about the factors undermining worker safety, the accountability gaps in the system, and the social apathy towards sanitation workers. The cases underscore the systemic failure in ensuring safety and dignity for sanitation workers, despite initiatives like the Swachh Bharat Mission.

Rising Contractualisation and Its Impact on Sanitation Workers

• Contractualisation of Work: Urban civic bodies increasingly rely on private contractors for sanitation work, leading to a rise in contractual sanitation jobs. These workers face challenges such as lack of minimum wages, safety equipment, and social security provisions.
• Risks Faced by Women Workers: Female sanitation workers experience heightened health and safety risks, exacerbated by the lack of basic facilities at work sites, such as well-lit toilets and maternity leave.
• Job Precarity: The lack of job security and accountability in contractual sanitation work increases vulnerability, as workers face hazardous conditions without adequate safety measures, putting their lives at risk.

Deregulation of Private Sanitation Agencies and Lack of Safety

• Emergence of Private Agencies: Private agencies offering septic tank cleaning services fill gaps left by urban sewer systems but often lack regulation, leading to the use of untrained workers without safety equipment.
• Incidents of Hazardous Cleaning: Cases like the May 2024 deaths of workers cleaning septic tanks in Delhi and Rohini highlight how private complexes and colonies bypass civic bodies and expose workers to life-threatening hazards without proper safety protocols.
• Exploitative Practices: Private companies often hire untrained workers for hazardous jobs, driven by profit motives, and neglect the safety standards mandated by law, resulting in preventable fatalities.

Caste-based Discrimination and Societal Apathy

• Caste-based Exploitation: The sanitation work, often viewed as “dirty work,” is typically assigned to the lowest castes, reflecting deep-rooted caste-based discrimination in Indian society. Workers are expected to clean toxic waste without regard for their safety or dignity.
• Social Disregard for "Polluting" Work: There is a normalized apathy towards the dangers of sewer work, with public attitudes shaped by caste, leading to the assumption that certain communities should bear the burden of “polluting” tasks.
• Intersection of Caste and Work Conditions: The systemic neglect and disregard for sanitation workers' well-being are rooted in caste discrimination, highlighting the urgent need for policy reforms to address these inequalities.

Practice Question

Q. Critically analyze the interlinkages between contractualisation, caste-based exploitation, and the systemic failures in sanitation work in India. How can these issues be addressed to improve worker safety, dignity, and accountability?