The Problem Domain

The sewers and septic tanks often get clogged due to which the wastes do not flow through the sewer pipes and get blocked. These clogs, once detected, have to be cleared. Even today, thousands of sanitation workers enter manholes, sometimes more than 10 meters deep, where oxygen supply is scarce, and come in contact with toxic wastes and gases in order to clear the blockages. It leaves them very sick, and often proves fatal.

Manual scavenging was banned in 2013 under the The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act 2013. Yet, workers wade through the waste of numerous households, expose themselves to an abundance of harmful pathogens and suffocate in poisonous gases, just to do a job that could easily be done today using technology. The manual scavengers often descend into septic tanks and sewers without any protective equipment, masks or even gloves. They face social and economic discrimination, and there is a social stigma around them, with a rampant practice of untouchability. Despite the ban, several layers of contracting and subcontracting of the job leads to the practice being undocumented and at very low wages.