Manhole to machine mode: 100% switch in offing

All cities and towns will be enabled for 100 per cent mechanical desludging of septic tanks and sewers to transition from manhole to machine hole mode, said FM Nirmala Sitharaman.

Calling the transition “manhole to machine mode”, the Finance minister announced that sewers and septic tanks across the country will be desludged through mechanical process.

“All cities and towns will be enabled for 100 per cent transition of sewers and septic tanks from manhole to machine hole mode,” she said. Sitharaman made the announcement with an intent to put an end to manual scavenging.

Last year in December, Union minister Ramdas Athawale informed Parliament that as many as 400 people had died while cleaning sewers and septic tanks since 2017.

Responding to a question in Lok Sabha, the Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment said no death has been reported due to engaging in manual scavenging. “However, 233 persons have died due to accidents while undertaking hazardous cleaning of sewer and septic tanks during the last three years and current year,” he said in a written response. He gave data of number of such deaths recorded since 2017. According to the data, 48 such deaths were recorded in 2022, 49 in 2021, 19 in 2020, 117 in 2019, 67 in 2018 and 100 in 2017.