443 people died while cleaning sewers in last 5 years: Govt tells Lok sabha

As many as 44,217 manual scavengers have been identified in the National Survey of Manual Scavengers initiated in 2018 at the behest of the NITI Aayog. A total of 443 deaths have occurred in the last five years while cleaning sewers, the government said in Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

New Delhi: At least 443 people have died while cleaning sewers in the country in the last five years (2018-2023), the government said in Lok Sabha on Tuesday. More than 44,217 manual scavengers have been identified in the National Survey of Manual Scavengers initiated in 2018 at the behest of the NITI Aayog.

Responding to a question from TMC MP Aparupa Poddar in Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale informed Lok Sabha that a total of 44,217 manual scavengers were identified under the National Survey in 2018. Uttar Pradesh with 20,884 cases topped the list followed by 6,325 in Maharashtra, 4,854 in Uttarakhand, 3,771 in Assam, 2,340 in Rajasthan and 2,238 in Karnataka.

A total of 443 deaths occurred between 2018-2023 with 76 in 2018, 133 in 2019, 35 in 2020, 66 in 2021, 84 in 2022 and 49 in 2023 (as on 20 November 2023).