Assignment

Sanitation Governance, Behaviour Change and Advocacy SSTM ZG513

1. What is the relationship between manual scavenging and caste?

In India there are four main casts exists. Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vysya and Sudhra.
Even in main casts there are several sub casts that can divide them. Since the
ancient times the people of the bottom of the cast hierarchy forced to do manual
scavenging and cleaning of sewers. Due to their nature of the work upper caste
people discriminate them as untouchables and even they do not share drinking water
and other food articles.

Even though the constitution of India Prohibited untouchability long back, still it exist
here and there in India. Some particular casts in Schedule casts and schedule tribes
practiced manual scavenging ages together. The upper cast society is not
accepting them to mingle with them. When educated persons applying for various
jobs, by knowing their community the employer allots them cleaning of toilets and
housekeeping jobs. The society needs every change to eradicate manual
scavenging.

The prohibition of employment as manual scavengers and their rehabilitation act,

2013 came in to force and the supreme court pronounced notable judgements
against prohibition of manual scavenging, certain state panchayaths are still
employing manual scavengers on cast basis and prohibiting them to lead a gracious
life in the society.

Certain organisations working to eradicate manual scavenging such as the Safai

Karmachari Andolan (SKA) and Jansahas, as well as organisations fighting for Dalit
rights, have been raising at local, national and international level for years. Cleaning
of dry latrines and carrying the human excreta by humans with bare hands is most
inhuman activity practicing generations together in India which needs attention of
civilized society.
2. Describe any one scene from the documentary and relate it to Chapter 3
and 4 from the textbook (we have been discussing these chapters in class)
(500 words)

The caste system, Purity and Providing sewage network and UGD.

In the documentary we have seen that engaging manual scavenging labour

from mainly lower caste in caste hierarchy.

 Dr., B.R. Ambedkar made valuable contribution to the social and political
thinking and condemned the disgraceful attitude of the Brahmanical
Hinduism towards the untouchables and worked for the freedom of troubled
class from the high caste People. 
3. Explain how any one scene from the documentary relates to your work as a
sanitation practitioner? (500 words)
As a civil and public health engineer in Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments
Department, my job is look after Civil construction works and Sanitation
management in Major temples. We have hundreds of public toilets at Srisailam
Devasthanam all of them are connected with underground sewage system.
Sanitation and housekeeping work entrusted to private contractor who intern
engages sanitary workers. The duty of the contractor is to look after cleaning and
maintaining public and community toilets, cleaning of public drains that often have
faecal waste along with other hazardous materials.
During festival seasons like Mahasivarathri and Vugadi festivals lakhs of pilgrim
public visit the area. Even though we provide temporary toilets the pilgrim prefer to
defecate in the open area along the road side and the forest area, the cleaning of
excreta is the major problem there. One can not clear the human excreta in bushes
through machinery, the workers spread bleaching and phenol to maintain some what
hygienic conditions.
The Srisialam Devasthanam is having under ground drainage system with sewage
treatment plant 6 MLD capacity at Srisailam township. Necessary equipment is
available for cleaning the drains, so that manual intervention in removing excreta
etc., is minimized.
The contractor provides protection equipment to the workers like hand gloves,
spades, masks etc., as per standard norms of the sanitation engineering practice.
Even PPE kits due to this pandemic will be supplied to the worker who involved with
public. The supply of articles will be verified at contractor stores as well as with the
workers frequently. Most of the workers are Schedule Tribes (Sugali /
Banjara,Chenchu communities). The literacy percentage among the schedule tribes
are very low and the Government is taking improvement steps to increase the
literacy through ITDA.
The salaries of the workers will be paid as per minimum wages act and the same will
be certified through bank. The EPF and ESI are being deducted and remitted to the
individual’s accounts, which will be verified in subsequent bill payments to the
contractor. The welfare of the sanitary workers will be monitored by the organization
often. Formal ID cards and biometric attendance will be monitored timely manner.
The meals for the workers will be available at the devasthanam Annaprasadam
scheme. Free mineral water will be supplied to the workers round the clock in this
pilgrimages centre. The temple is having free dispensary along with three
ambulances for the workers as well as pilgrims where free medicines supplied.
The dead bodies of the old people left away by their family members and also dead
bodies of Sadhus, orphans who desires to spend the rest of the life in this
pilgrimage centre are also a immense problem in this pilgrimage centre. The
sanitation workers under the supervision of the officials will do the cremation of the
dead bodies. Every protective measures can be taken up for the safety of the
workers. The Devasthanam is providing significant budget provision for the safety of
the sanitation workers with the help of donors and philanthropic persons.