Septic Tank Desludging in India: A Need for Mechanisation

• Hazardous cleaning deaths in 2022 and 2023 are linked to a flawed business model.

• Local contractors hired 38 workers, with only five on government payroll.

• Progress has been slow, with only 16,791 PPE kits supplied and 837 safety workshops conducted.

• In Odisha, workers have access to mechanised desludging vehicles and sewer robots in Tamil Nadu.

• Enforcement is a major issue, with government tenders often soliciting manual bids.

• Only ₹14 crore has been released under the NAMASTE scheme, insufficient to mechanise sewer cleaning in one major city.

• Police often book the lowest ranking supervisor or classify worker deaths as accidents.

• Rehabilitation packages rarely include housing or scholarships for Dalits.

• Measures include mechanising sewer-cleaning post haste, making it a licensed trade, and linking loans for machines to guaranteed service contracts.

• The national government should include septic tank desludging under the Swachh Bharat rural budget and extend NAMASTE profiling to gram panchayats