More than a hundred participants gathered at the Constitution Club of India in New Delhi on 24th May 2025 for a landmark workshop titled “Underground Voices: Empowering the Backbone of Our Cities”. Organised by the Dalit Adivasi Shakti Adhikar Manch (DASAM) along with a coalition of unions and civil society organisations, the workshop brought together sewer and septic workers, union representatives, researchers, lawyers, academics, journalists and activists to raise a unified and urgent call for ending sewer deaths and ensuring dignified working conditions for sanitation workers in India.
The workshop served as a powerful indictment of the continuing, and largely preventable, deaths of manual scavengers—deaths that persist despite statutory bans and repeated Supreme Court rulings. These workers, largely from Dalit and other marginalised communities, continue to face dangerous and dehumanising conditions with little institutional accountability or protection. The event centred the lived experiences of these workers, highlighting how caste-based discrimination, informal employment practices, and systemic neglect combine to deny them their fundamental rights to life, dignity, and safety.
One of the key highlights of the workshop was the release of a fact-finding report by DASAM, documenting at least 11 deaths of manual scavengers in the Delhi-NCR region between May 2024 and May 2025. The report laid bare the mechanisms of institutional apathy, contractor impunity, and bureaucratic denial that surround such fatalities. According to the findings, most deaths are either under-reported or wrongly classified as accidents, with contractors often disowning any formal relationship with the deceased to evade responsibility and legal action. The report underscored how the lack of transparent data collection and legal enforcement enables this ongoing human tragedy.
The workshop featured compelling contributions from union leaders, legal experts, academics, and frontline activists. Hemlata Kansotia, National Convenor of the National Campaign for Dignity and Rights of Sewer and Allied Workers (NCDRSAW), emphasised the long-term health consequences of sanitation work. She pointed out that workers frequently suffer from respiratory issues, chronic illnesses, and other complications due to sustained exposure to toxic gases, yet these health effects are rarely documented or acknowledged in public health data. She also noted that a marked urban bias in the national discourse has led to the invisibilisation of sanitation worker deaths in smaller towns and rural areas.
Mohsina Akhter, National Coordinator of DASAM and a primary contributor to the report, criticised the role of municipal bodies and police officials in perpetuating the problem. She stated that in many instances, no First Information Reports (FIRs) are filed, and where they are, investigations are delayed or stalled. Contractors routinely deny formal employment ties, creating legal grey zones that allow them to avoid liability. “The apathy is institutional,” she said, stressing that these are not isolated accidents but structural consequences of casteist exploitation and administrative neglect.
Dharmendra Bhati, President of the Municipal Workers Lal Jhanda Union, called for the immediate inclusion of contractual sewer workers on the official payroll of the Delhi Jal Board. Without formal recognition, he said, workers remain vulnerable to exploitation and hazardous working conditions. Social activist Dr Sunil Ram further noted that while post-death compensations are discussed, policy conversations rarely focus on preventing such deaths. He underscored that sanitation workers are not provided with the equipment, training or funds necessary for safe operations, while public stigma continues to isolate them socially and psychologically.
Addressing the socio-cultural aspects of the issue, Dr Seema Mathur of Delhi University pointed to the intersection of caste and gender in shaping the lived realities of sanitation workers. She noted the psychological toll of engaging in stigmatised and hazardous labour, particularly in the absence of social security and support systems. Women workers, in particular, face unique challenges that are often overlooked in mainstream narratives.
The workshop also witnessed deeply moving personal testimonies from sanitation workers, who spoke of unsafe working conditions, absence of safety gear, wage delays, mistreatment, and a lack of institutional support. Their stories, often filled with trauma and resilience, illuminated the urgent need for reforms beyond policy documents and into real-life protections.
A panel of distinguished speakers led discussions throughout the day, including Virendra Gaur, President, CITU Delhi-NCR; Ved Prakash, President, Delhi Jal Board Sewer Department Mazdoor Sangathan; Dr Sunilam, social activist; Vijay Kumar Balguher, Vice President of Akhil Bhartiya Shramik Sangh (Delhi Pradesh); Ajay Hiteshi, social activist from Ghaziabad; Azad Singh Dedha, President of All DJB Employees Welfare Association; and journalist Varsha Prakash, among others. The collective expertise and perspectives presented made a compelling case for immediate and wide-ranging policy interventions.
The workshop concluded with the adoption of a Charter of Demands that calls for sweeping changes, including the immediate registration of FIRs under existing laws such as the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013, the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. It demanded a minimum compensation of ₹30 lakh for the families of deceased workers, time-bound judicial inquiries into each death, and permanent employment for all sewer workers under municipal bodies. It also urged a nationwide audit of sanitation practices, along with the enforcement of occupational safety protocols, including mandatory provision of personal protective equipment (PPE) and safety training.
“Underground Voices” marked a critical step toward reclaiming the humanity, dignity, and rights of sanitation workers. The workshop served not only as a forum for urgent grievances but also as a rallying point for sustained collective action. Organisers and participants jointly called upon the government, municipal authorities, and civil society to break the silence surrounding this issue and to commit to comprehensive reforms that reflect both the spirit and letter of India’s constitutional promises.
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*With Dalit Adivasi Shakti Adhikar Manch (DASAM)
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