‘Out Of Touch With Our Lived Experience’: Sanitation Workers’ Harrowing Truth Shatter Athawale’s Caste-Free Claims

Sarya Ram, a 39-year-old sanitation worker from Bihar, has beeen cleaning septic tanks and drains in Delhi for over a decade — battling against stench, toxic gases and physical toll. He has been denied essential protective gear like gumboots, safety masks, hand gloves, etc. “This makes our work even more dangerous as we risk slipping into toxic and waste-filled septic tanks,” he says, highlighting his daily struggles.

His story is not unique. It is echoed across the country where lakhs of sanitation workers continue to face precarious working conditions and health hazards. With an estimated 50 lakh sanitation workers in the country, thousands have lost their lives while cleaning sewers.

A total of 453 workers lost their lives while working to clean sewers and septic tanks since 2014, despite 732 of 766 districts in the country officially declaring themselves free from manual scavenging. The data was shared by the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in a written response to the Lok Sabha in August last year.

The sanitation workers are often exposed to harmful conditions, which lead to chronic skin and respiratory diseases, including tuberculosis, scaly dermatitis and eczema.

Musculoskeletal disorders and mental health issues are also common among these workers. Other airborne and waterborne illnesses are also rampant among them. They have an average life expectancy of just 40 years that is significantly below the national average of 67.

The situation is no different for seasonal sanitation workers such as Kailash — who cleans the city's drains during rainy season. He along with others risks their lives handling hazardous waste, often with little protection, despite a complete ban on manual scavenging.

They have no other options but to migrate to Delhi and Mumbai every year to perform this hazardous, unrecognised and menial work for a living. “We do whatever is asked of us,” he says.

However, Union Minister of State Ramdas Athawale recently downplayed the role of a caste in the lives of sanitation workers. He told the Lok Sabha during the Winter Session that sanitation workers are part of an occupation-based workforce. He suggested that caste does not influence their working conditions.

His comments have ignited debate as it contradicts the experience shared by workers like Surya Ram and Kailsh as well as reports from human rights organisations.

A study conducted by law students at Madurai in Tamil Nadu also exposes disparity between government claims and ground realities. The research uncovered mistreatment of sanitation workers, especially those belonging to the Arundhathiyar caste — a Scheduled Caste community.

With 258 deaths, Tamil Nadu has recorded among sanitation workers over the past three decades. Testimonies from the workers in the state expose the dire circumstances they endure — dangerous tasks, low wages, lack of basic facilities, etc. “I struggle to provide nutritious food to my children because of low wages,” one of the sanitation workers told the researchers.

When asked about Athawle’s comments, both Surya Ram and Kailash said the minister's assertion is not only out of touch with their lived experience but also dismisses the “deeply-rooted caste-based exploitation” they face. “The reality is that what we do is not just an occupation, it’s a caste-based legacy that has kept people like us trapped in unsafe, exploitative and degrading labour for generations,” says the former.

The response of the government, says the latter, to “our plight has been inadequate — failing to provide the protections, pay and recognition that we deserve”.