Delhi Public Works Department Posts Pictures Of Workers Entering Drain. Then Deletes

Armed with just a shovel, a group of labourers, with no protective gear of gloves, entered the sewers in Delhi's Rohini, in violation of the Supreme Court order. The images were posted on X by the Public Works Department (PWD), saying desilting work is underway. A backlash followed. Soon after, the post was deleted.

Ahead of the monsoon, the PWD is clearing drains and removing obstructions from roads across Delhi to prevent waterlogging.

The disturbing images, of labourers surrounded by filth, allowed the opposition to target the government.

Despite Supreme Court directives and existing laws, manual scavenging continues in various parts of the country.

The court has repeatedly stressed the importance of ensuring worker safety and prohibiting manual handling of waste.

"The BJP government has always exploited Dalits and the poor. Look at how manual scavenging is being carried out. Legal action should be taken against this," Delhi AAP president Saurabh Bharadwaj posted.

Soon after, the PWD deleted the post.

When NDTV questioned Chief Minister Rekha Gupta as to why manual scavenging was still taking place in Delhi despite Supreme Court directives, she said, "The government is preparing for the monsoon. In some areas, it's not possible to use machines, so labourers have been deployed. However, the Delhi government is working in accordance with court orders."

A worker recently died while cleaning a drain linked to the Delhi Jal Board. According to Government of India data, 377 people died during drain cleaning between 2019 and 2023.

In Delhi alone, 72 deaths occurred during cleaning activities between 2013 and 2024, as per the National Commission for Safai Karamchari.

What was the Supreme Court's ruling?

In a landmark 2014 ruling, the Supreme Court issued a series of directives to stop manual cleaning of waste and sewage. The court declared that no labourer should be made to clean dangerous sewers.

Workers should not be sent into sewer lines without proper safety equipment, it said. The law provides for strict punishment against violators.

The court instructed all states and union territories to implement the 2013 law aimed at ending the practice of manual scavenging and ensuring rehabilitation for the victims.

While the case was pending in the Supreme Court, the central government enacted the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and Their Rehabilitation Act, 2013.

The petitioners demanded protection of their right to life and equality.