India logged 498 sewer-cleaning deaths since 2019 and called none manual scavenging
In a written Lok Sabha reply in July 2026, Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale reported that 498 workers died cleaning sewers and septic tanks between 1 January 2019 and 30 June 2026, including 47 in 2025 and 16 in the first half of 2026, while maintaining that no death was due to manual scavenging, according to Outlook India. The same data showed partial payment or unconfirmed payment in 78 cases, and payment could not be confirmed in 20 of the 47 deaths of 2025, despite the Supreme Court's order of Rs 30 lakh compensation per death. Safai Karmachari Andolan, which says the work is caste-based and falls mostly on Dalits, counted 593 deaths from January 2021 to June 2026 against the government's 332, and accused the ministry of hiding 261 deaths. Outlook reports the government has set no deadline to fully mechanise the work, and that criminal liability usually falls on contractors rather than the agencies that hire them.
Payment could not be confirmed in 20 of the 47 deaths reported in 2025.
SKA's own compilation for the same period puts the number at 593.
Told Parliament that "no death has been reported due to manual scavenging."
Gave the 498-death figure in a written Lok Sabha reply, with no deaths classified as manual scavenging.
No outcome recorded yet.