Maharashtra: New guidelines issued for manual cleaning of septic tanks, sewer lines

The Maharashtra government has issued fresh guidelines to civic bodies and collectorates in connection with the cleaning of septic tanks and sewer lines, The Indian Express reported.

The guidelines come after the deaths of five sanitation workers and another person in April after they entered sewers in Mumbai and the surrounding areas.

Manual scavenging – or the practice of removing human excreta by hand from sewer lines or septic tanks – is banned under the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013. However, the practice is prevalent in several parts of the country.

Under the law, contractors have to provide safety gear and cleaning equipment to sanitation workers.

The latest guidelines issued by Maharashtra’s Urban Development Department said that machines should be used to clean confined spaces. However, sanitation workers can be directed to clean such spaces only if absolute necessity, The Times of India reported.

Stakeholders must ensure that the depth of the confined space is measured before workers enter them, the fresh guidelines say, according to The Indian Express. The space should also be checked to ensure that there are no toxic or flammable gases.

The state government also said that mechanical ventilation should be provided to ensure air supply.

“Only certified workers, who have completed training, must be allowed to work in confined spaces like septic tanks and underground sewers, in unavoidable circumstances,” the guidelines said, The Indian Express reported.

The guidelines also noted that a sanitation worker should be immediately withdrawn from a space if they report discomfort. Further, workers can be allowed to enter only after receiving security clearance from the site manager.

The state government has also said that private organisations and persons must hire sanitation workers that are trained and registered with municipal bodies to clean septic tanks and sewers.

On April 24, a sanitation worker cleaning a sewer line in an under-construction building and a rescuer died after inhaling toxic gases in the Malad suburb of the state capital.

On April 9, four sanitation workers died in Virar near Mumbai after inhaling toxic gases. The four men had entered a private sewage treatment plant, allegedly without proper safety gear.