The practice of manual scavenging lowers an individual's self esteem in society and is considered as a dehumanising activity. In a reply to a question in Parliament, the government said that there is no report of people currently engaged in manual scavenging and no death has been reported due to the practice in five years. However, in a Report Findings Since January 1, 2017, 123 people employed in manual scavenging lost their lives i.e. on an average one person has died every five days while cleaning sewers and septic tanks across the country. Of the 28 states and seven union territories, the NCSK data has reported deaths from only 13 states and UTs. Rights. 28/Jul/2016. The Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993 defines 'manual scavenger' as "a person engaged in or employed for manually Manual scavenging refers to the practice of manually cleaning, carrying, disposing, or handling in any manner, human excreta from dry latrines and sewers using basic tools like baskets and brooms. It is an extremely unsanitary job which spreads diseases and infections to scavengers. Manual scavenging is a profession which has been in existence since the h uman ci vilization. The inhuman practice of manuall y r emoving night soil which involves removal of human excrements from Causes of Manual Scavenging in India Less number of waterborne latrines: In India, in the urban areas, the major type of latrines used is the dry latrines which are a major cause of manual scavenging. A report by Housing-Listing and Housing Census, 2011 indicates that there are approximately 26 million insanitary latrines. Manual scavenging refers to the practice of manually cleaning, carrying, disposing or handling in any manner, human excreta from dry latrines and sewers. Since 1993, key legislations have been According to the Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry, despite a ban on manual scavenging from 1993, 620 cases of deaths of sanitation workers (while cleaning septic tanks and sewers) have been reported, of which 88 occurred in the past three years. Manual scavenging Ground Report | New Delhi: Manual scavenging in India; In 2021, the government announced a series of measures to end the discriminatory and dangerous practice of manual waste collection. Hand scavenging is the practice of removing human waste from toilets, septic tanks, or sewers by hand. Manual scavenging refers to the unsafe and manual removal of raw (fresh and untreated) human excreta from buckets or other containers that are used as toilets or from the pits of simple pit latrines. The safe and controlled emptying of pit latrines, on the other hand, is one component of fecal sludge management . The survey of manual scavengers in 2018 was conducted by the National Safai Karamcharis Finance and Development Corporation (NSKFDC) at the behest of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. This survey, which found 87,913 manual scavengers in India, was only conducted in the statutory towns of 14 Indian states. By Shagun Published: Thursday 14 November 2019 Despite laws and regulations being in place in India, the practice of manual scavenging has not been curtailed but has been forced underground, a report released by World Health Organisation (WHO) on November 14, 2019, said. By Shagun Published: Thursday 14 November 2019 Despite laws and regulations being in place in India, the practice of manual scavenging has not been curtailed but h