Sanitation workers deaths: Govt-commissioned audit slam Maharashtra authorities

A Union government-commissioned social audit across Mumbai, Pune, Parbhani, Satara and Shirur has exposed “critical failures” by authorities and contractors in protecting sanitation workers in Maharashtra, 18 of whom died between 2021 and 2024.

The `Social Audit Report On The Death Of Sanitary Workers 2021-24` by the Maharashtra State Society for Social Audit and Transparency, a unit established on directives of Union Ministry of Rural Development, also pulled up urban local bodies (ULBs) for failing to formally register workers, which left them without legal protection or access to welfare schemes.

The audit said safety protocols, protective gear, and emergency response mechanisms were largely absent in all the five places surveyed, despite there being a clear legal obligation under Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and Their Rehabilitation (PEMSR) Act 2013.

“In Parbhani, Mumbai, and other districts, workers were made to clean sewers and septic tanks without basic safety gear. No first-aid kits or emergency rescue equipment were found at worksites. Several deaths occurred due to inhalation of toxic gases. 

This violated of PEMSR Act`s section 7, which prohibited hazardous manual cleaning,” it said.

The audit showed a complete lack of mandatory training for sanitary workers, no pre-task safety training or risk assessment.

In Loni Kalbhor and Mumbai, workers died because they were unaware of the dangers involved in the work, said the audit report, which also discussed the compensation package offered to sanitary workers, who either lost their lives or sustained permanent injuries, including disability.

“Compensation to families of deceased workers was delayed or misappropriated in several cases. A survivor suffered permanent eye damage and remained undocumented without any help from authorities. In Mumbai, families were reportedly misled about the amount of compensation,” the report asserted.

The report, which has been submitted to the Union Ministry for Social Justice and Empowerment, sheds light on the tragic deaths of 18 sanitation workers in Maharashtra over four years and underscored the systematic failures that continue to put their lives at risk.

The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment had directed to carry out this task of social audit of sanitary workers in Maharashtra.

As per the directives of the ministry and the Supreme Court, this social audit verified the circumstances surrounding these deaths, safety protocols and the level of accountability of employers and urban local bodies.

The findings reveal glaring deficiencies in protective measures, legal compliance, and rehabilitation efforts, highlighting the urgent need for reform.

The report also highlighted negligence by contractors and poor oversight by local authorities.

“In Mumbai and Ranjangaon (Pune district), sanitation work was outsourced to private contractors who failed to provide safety measures. Municipal officials did not enforce contract conditions or ensure legal action in many cases,” the report said.

The audit further pointed out that sanitation workers in Parbhani, Mumbai, and Pune were employed informally, without contracts or registration under local bodies.

This left them without legal rights, access to benefits, or support in case of accidents, it added.

The report called for urgent reforms, including mechanised sewer cleaning, strict enforcement of safety laws, regular medical check-ups as well as social security benefits.

It recommended that sanitation work be recognised as formal employment and that workers be linked to government welfare schemes.

Quoting the World Health Organization, the report said, “Sanitation workers remained invisible, unquantified, neglected and ostracised, facing conditions that exposed them to debilitating infections, injuries, stigma and even death.”

The social audit report concluded that the 18 deaths were not isolated incidents but reflected a systemic failure.

“Many of these deaths could have been prevented with proper safety measures, training, and mechanised cleaning systems,” it stated.

The audit urged the state to go beyond compensation and provide full rehabilitation, including employment for families, support for addiction recovery, and awareness campaigns about workers` rights.

It said the issue is not just as a policy failure, but a deep human rights concern requiring immediate action.

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever