347 sanitation workers died in last 5 yrs across India; UP highest: Govt data
The Centre also provided data on the year-wise deaths of manual scavengers; 2019 saw the highest number of deaths (116) in the last five years, followed by 92 deaths in 2017
At least 347 sanitation workers died across Indian in the last five years with the highest number being recorded in Uttar Pradesh, the central government informed Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

Responding to a query raised by two Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) parliamentarians Subrat Pathak and Manoj Tiwari, Union minister of social justice and empowerment Virendra Kumar said, “The government takes a serious cognisance of the deaths occurring due to hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks.”
The Centre also provided data on the year-wise deaths of manual scavengers; 2019 saw the highest number of deaths (116) in the last five years, followed by 92 deaths in 2017.
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The data also showed a state-wise breakdown of the reported numbers.
Over the past five years, Uttar Pradesh saw the highest number of deaths, standing at 51, followed by 48 in Tamil Nadu and 44 in Delhi. The highest deaths were witnessed in Uttar Pradesh in 2019; 26 septic tank workers died. Moreover, in 2022 so far, 17 workers have lost their lives, the highest number coming from Tamil Nadu (5) followed by UP (4).
Mentioning the measures taken by the Centre to reduce such incidents, Kumar said that the constituent laboratory of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research has developed an “integrated solution” for mechanised drain cleaning system for urban and local bodies with a population density of 5000mm and can clean a blockage of up to 300mm sewer line.
Apart from this, the government has also formulated several schemes for manual scavengers, such as the National Action Plan for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE), Swachhta Udyami Yojana, Self-Employment Scheme for Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers, and others.