Manual Scavenging (Science Project)

MANUAL SCAVENGING :- A SHAME ON HUMAN DIGNITY

NAME:- RICHA BHATIACLASS:- 11-BROLL NO. :- 16

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INDEXS.NO.

TOPIC PAGE

1) ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 3

2) INTRODUCTION:- a)WHAT IS MANUAL SCAVENGING?b)HISTORY

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3) INTIATIVES TO ERADICATE HUMAN SCAVENGING

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4) STATUS OF HUMAN SCAVENGERS IN THE SOCIETY

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5) METHODS TO REPLACE THE NEED FOR HUMAN SCAVENGERS

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6) THE “SULABHA SANITATION MOVEMENT”

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7) PRODUCTION OF BIOGAS 23-24

8) CONCLUSION 25-26

9) BIBLIOGRAPHY 27

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I WOULD LIKE TO EXTEND MY HEARTFELT GRATITUDE TO CERTAIN PEOPLE WITHOUT WHOSE IMMENSE HELP AND GUIDANCE THIS PRESENTATION WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN IN ITS PRESENT FORM. I WOULD FIRST OF ALL, LIKE TO THANK MRS. SONIA CHOJAR , CLASS TEACHER OF 11-B AND SENIOR PHYSICS TEACHER, SPRINGDALES SCHOOL PUSA ROAD, FOR HELPING ME UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPT OF MANUAL SCAVENGING AND HOW TO ERADICATE THIS MORALLY SHAMEFUL PRACTICE. NEXT I WOULD LIKE TO THANK MY PARENTS FOR PROVIDING ME WITH USEFUL INPUTS AND FOR SUGGESTING CHANGES IN MY PRESENTATION. I HOPE THAT YOU ALL OF YOU WOULD ENJOY THIS PRESENTATION AND FIND IT USEFUL AND INFORMATIVE.

THANK YOU.

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INTRODUCTIONa)WHAT IS MANUAL SCAVENGING?

Manual scavenging refers to the removal of human waste/excreta (night soil) from unsanitary, "dry" toilets, “dry toilets”, i.e., toilets without the modern flush system. Manual scavenging involves the removal of human excreta using brooms and tin plates. The excreta are piled into baskets which scavengers carry on their heads to locations sometimes several kilometers from the latrines . Manual scavenging is said to have started in 1214 in Europe when the first public toilets appeared . The water closet was invented by John Harrington in 1596. In 1870, S.S. Helior invented the flush type toilet, and it became common in the Western world.

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b)HISTORY OF MANUAL SCAVENGING

In India, the Mughal ruler Jahangir built a public toilet at Alwar, 120 km away from Delhi for 100 families in 1556 AD.Not much documentary evidence exists about its maintenance. Scholars have suggested that the Mughal women with purdah required enclosed toilets that needed to be scavenged.They point out that the bhangis share some of the clan names with Rajputs, and propose that the bhangis are descendants of those captured in wars.There are many legends about the origin of bhangis, who have traditionally served as manual scavengers. One of them, associated with Lal Begi bhangis describes the origin of bhangis from Mehtar Ilias. Municipal records from 1870 show that the British organized municipalities in India which built roads, parks, public toilets etc. The British administrators organized systems for removing the night soil and employed bhangis.

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On the basis of census data, Risley, the Commissioner for 1901 Census, classified castes into seven main categories according to their social standing and ranked the Jatis in the local hierarchy and varna affiliation of each. The scavenging castes which were known by different names in different States, like Bhangi, Balmiki, Chuhra, Mehtar, Mazhabi, Lal Begi, Halalkhor etc. in northern India; Har, Hadi, Hela, Dom and Sanei etc. in eastern India; Mukhiyar, Thoti, Chachati, Pakay, Relli etc. in southern India; and Mehtar, Bhangias, Halalkhor, Ghasi, Olgana, Zadmalli, Barvashia, Metariya, Jamphoda and Mela etc. in western and central India. In 1911 census some of them started returning as Adi Dharmi, Adi Dravida, Adi Karnataka and Adi Andhran .

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INITIATIVES TO ERADICATE HUMAN

SCAVENGINGLEGISLATION

Sanitation is a State subject as per entry 6 of the Constitution .Under this, in February 2013 Delhi announced that they are banning manual scavenging, making them the first state in India to do so. District magistrates are responsible for ensuring that there are no manual scavengers working in their district. Within 3 years time municipalities, railways and cantonments must make sufficient sanitary latrines available. The government of the state of Maharashtra has planned to abolish the menace of manual scavenging completely from the state soon. But by using Article 252 of the constitution which empowers Parliament to legislate for two or more States by consent and adoption of such legislation by any other State, the Government of India has enacted various laws . The continuance of such discriminatory practice is violation of ILO’s Convention 111 (Discrimination in Employment and Occupation).

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THE EMPLOYMENT OF MANUAL SCAVENGERS AND CONSTRUCTION OF DRY LATRINES (PROHIBITION) ACT, 1993

After six states passed resolutions requesting the Central Government to frame a law, The Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993,drafted by the Ministry of Urban Development under the Dr. P.V. Narasimha Rao government, was passed by Parliament in 1993. Over time, the Act was adopted by 23 states and all union territories. Two other states have enacted their own laws, which are similar to the central Act .

The Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993 punishes the employment of scavengers or the construction of dry (non-flush) latrines with imprisonment for up to one year and/or a fine of Rs 2,000.The 1993 law saw no conviction in its 20-year history despite the widespread prevalence of the practice.

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NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR SAFAI KARAMCHARIS (NCSK)

A statutory National Commission for Safai Karamcharis (NCSK) was constituted for the first time in August, 1994, according to provisions under Section 3 of the National Commission for Safai Karamcharis Act, 1993. This Commission continued till February, 2004, when the relevant Act expired. Thereafter, the tenure of the Commission has been extended from time to time, as a non-statutory body, the last such extension being up to 31.3.2016. The Commission functions among other things for the upliftment of Safai Karamcharis, evaluation of the implementation of measures taken for the welfare of Safai Karamcharis, making of suitable recommendations to the Central Government in this regard, and to investigate grievances relating to implementation of schemes, laws etc. for the purpose.

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THE PROHIBITION OF EMPLOYMENT AS MANUAL SCAVENGERS AND THEIR REHABILITATION ACT 2013 OR M.S. ACT 2013

The 2011 Draft obliges previous employers to extend monthly pension to manual scavengers in recognition of the long years of service rendered to society under adverse conditions; and assist in securing alternative employment for such pensioned elderly manual scavengers who are unwilling to be idle. It further recommends rehabilitation (unconnected with sanitation work) as service providers and cooks for Anganwadis and mid-day meal schemes or as railway staff assisting the elderly, the disabled or children.

In addition to training them as caretakers of public parks/gardens, plumbers or electrical repair workers, the 2011 Draft directs the Ministry of Railways to set aside a quota to absorb ex-scavengers as railway catering staff. It also duty binds the Central and State governments to provide proper housing with adequate sanitation, road infrastructure and, most importantly, quality schools up to Class XII for the children of all SC communities from which manual scavengers are drawn. A remarkably detailed rehabilitation plan in the 2011 Draft is motivated by a three-fold realization:

(1) To restore the dignity of life to the entire community of sanitation workers

(2) To secure, through educational opportunities, better vocations for future generations traditionally vulnerable to being recruited as manual scavengers

(3) To clearly spell out the tasks of every Ministry, PSU, and private sector organization in order to make them enforceable.

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Government has passed the new legislation in September 2013 and issued Government notification for the same. In December,2013 Government has also formulated Rules-2013 called as "The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Rules 2013" or "M.S. Rules 2013". The details about Act and Rules are available on the website of Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, GOI.

Further, the hearing on 27 March 2014 was held on Manual Scavenging of writ petition number 583 of 2003, and Supreme Court has issued final orders and case is disposed of with various directions to the Government.

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STATUS OF HUMAN SCAVENGERS IN THE

SOCIETYCURRENT PREVALENCE

Manual scavenging still survives in parts of India without proper sewage systems. It is thought to be most prevalent in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan. Some municipalities in India still run public dry-toilets. The biggest violator of this law in India is the Indian Railways which has toilets dropping all the excreta from trains on the tracks and they employ scavengers to clean it manually. In the traditional Hindu caste system, the manual scavengers are considered outcastes (Dalits). Their occupation is considered as ritually polluting by other caste communities. According to the official statistics, there are about 340,000 people who work as manual scavengers in India.Manual scavenging is done with basic tools like thin boards and either buckets or baskets lined with sacking and carried on the head. Due to the nature of the job, many of the workers have related health problems.

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The International Dalit Solidarity Network estimates that around 1.3 million Dalits in India, mostly women, are involved in manual scavenging. It links the job to "forced labour or slavery", stating that the Dalits are rarely able to take up another occupation due to caste-based discrimination and debt bondage.

Apart from having to earn their livelihood by manually carrying or cleaning excreta, the workers are also discriminated against by stigmatization and are forcibly hidden from the public sphere. Newspaper reports have suggested that 99% of those involved in manual scavenging are Dalits and among them 95% women. In 1995, according to a Planning Commission study, more than six lakh people were engaged in scavenging. And the practice is not restricted to the private sphere. The Indian Railways, argue activists, employ a large number of people for manually clearing the tracks of sewage and human waste. There are an estimated that 700 million people do not have access to sanitary toilets.

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SCIENTIFIC WAYS TO REPLACE THE NEED FOR

HUMAN SCAVENGERSIntegrated Low Cost Sanitation Scheme (ILCS): In order to eliminate the dehumanizing practice of physically carrying night soil, the Centrally Sponsored Scheme for Urban Low Cost Sanitation was initiated in 1981 by the Ministry of Home Affairs and later implemented through the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

The scheme envisages conversion of dry latrines into low cost twin pit sanitary latrines and liberation of scavengers through total elimination of manual scavenging. The Method has been taken up on a ‘whole town basis’ and is being operated through the Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO) by providing a mix of subsidy from the Central Government and loan from the HUDCO in a synchronized manner.  

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Pay and Use Toilet Scheme: Under ‘Pay and Use Toilet Scheme’, Central assistance through Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO) is available to Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) for construction of toilets for footpath and slum dwellers who were unable to construct their own toilets.The period of the project is one year and the subsidy is payable in four equal installments on submission of utilization certificates of each installment.

Concretization of latrines in railways: There are reportedly about 7114 mail/express/ordinary trains which have direct discharge or controlled discharge system type of toilets.The Railways have started constructing concrete washable aprons under the railway tracks at important stations so that the Safai Karamcharis can clean the track with high pressure water jet cleaning system, instead of doing it manually. The Parliamentary Affairs Committee recommended the construction of more such concrete aprons on all railway stations in a time bound manner.    The Committee had recommended that the Ministry of Railways should seek more allocation of funds for conversion of all toilets into bio-toilets in the Twelfth Five Year Plan itself for completely eliminating all direct discharge toilets to escape penalty under the Act.

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THE “SULABHA SANITATION MOVEMENT”

Sulabh International Social Service Organisation, a non-profit voluntary social organization founded in 1970 by Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak, is dedicated to Gandhian ideology of emancipation of scavengers. Sulabh has been working for the removal of untouchability and social discrimination against human scavengers, a section of Indian society condemned to clean and carry human excreta manually. Sulabh is noted for achieving success in the field of cost-effective sanitation, liberation of scavengers, social transformation of society, prevention of environmental pollution and development of non-conventional sources of energy.

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Liberation and Rehabilitation of Scavengers

It is a common sight to see scavengers, mostly women, moving with excreta on the head, stored in bamboo-baskets, or in leaking drums, with the muck trickling down over face and body. Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak strategy for liberation of Balmikis through the Sulabh movement consists of a mixed package of technology, rehabilitation, with alternative employment and social reform.

The Sulabh approach to restore human dignity to Balmikis has five distinct stages: a.   Liberation

b.   Rehabilitation

c.   Vocational training

d.   Proper education of next generation

e.   Social elevation

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Eco-friendly Technology Environmental friendly two-pit, pour-flush compost toilet known as Sulabh Shauchalaya that is socially acceptable, economically affordable, technologically appropriate and does not require scavengers to clean the pits and implemented in more than 1.2 million houses all over India that has helped liberate over a million scavengers. 

Sulabh Public Toilet Complexes Construction and maintenance of public toilets at public places and in slums on ‘pay & use basis’ is a landmark of Sulabh in the field of sanitation. So far it has constructed and is or maintaining over 8000 such public toilets in India.

Provision of Sulabh public toilet complexes at public places and in slums on “pay and use” basis is an important activity of Sulabh in the field of community health and hygiene and environmental sanitation which has constructed public toilet complexes in different parts of the country, where maintenance is provided round the clock. These complexes are located at public places like bus stands, hospitals, markets etc. and in the slums. For washing hands soap powder is provided to users. Children indigent persons are exempted from such charge. This is a unique example of partnership of local authorities, non-governmental organization, and the community.

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PRODUCTION OF BIOGAS FROM HUMAN EXCRETARecycling and use of human excreta for biogas generation is an important way to get rid of health hazards from human excreta, besides promoting use of biogas for cooking, lighting and electricity generation. Biogas digesters when attached to public toilet complex recycles human waste into biogas. The biogas from public toilets has multiple benefits – improving sanitation, community health and hygiene, environment and providing dignity to women and girls. In addition to using biogas for different purposes. Under the system only human excreta with flush water is allowed to flow into biogas plant for anaerobic digestion. For biogas generation no manual handling of excreta at any stage is required . Production of biogas from public toilets and recycling and reuse of effluent through simple and convenient method is the major breakthrough in the field of sanitation and community health.

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The biogas produced is used for cooking, lighting mantle lamps, and electricity generation. Cooking is the most convenient use of biogas. Recently Sulabh has modified the generator set which earlier required 20% diesel and 80% biogas. It does not require diesel and runs on 100% biogas. This has made electricity generation from biogas more sustainable.

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CONCLUSIONElimination of dry latrines and manual scavenging and the rehabilitation of manual scavengers in alternate occupations should be an area of high priority for the Government. Despite the concerted efforts made in the past to eliminate the dehumanizing practice of manual scavenging, the practice still persists in various parts of the country. Existing laws have not proved adequate in eliminating the twin evils of insanitary latrines and manual scavenging from the country. These evils are inconsistent with the right to live with dignity, which is an essence of the Fundamental Rights guaranteed in Part III of the Constitution.

With a view to eliminate manual scavenging and insanitary latrines and to provide for the rehabilitation of manual scavengers, a multi-pronged strategy has been worked out in the provisions of " The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Bill, 2012", which consists of legislative as well as programmatic interventions. We all, sincerely hope that strict and stringent enforcement of this Bill would put an end to this shameful medieval practice of manual scavenging and would also provide means of alternate employment and better opportunities for the people employed in this field.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

www.google.com

www.wikipedia.com

www.sulabhinternational.org

www.ibnlive.in

www.ncsk.nic.in

Manual Scavengers Welfare and Rehabilitation.pdf (Parliament Library and Reference, Research, Documentation and Information Service (LARRDIS) )

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