Waist-deep in sewage, wearing no safety gear, heavily intoxicated to withstand the stench: these are India’s so-called “manual scavengers”, paid scant wages to carry out a job that is illegal and dangerous. Videos shared with the FRANCE 24 Observers team show how manual scavenging is still occurring in India, allowing municipalities to cut costs and clear sewage ahead of the monsoon season.
They use their hands and makeshift tools to clear garbage and sewage from the water lines. Removing human excrement from septic tanks and open sewers by hand, otherwise known as “manual scavenging”, still occurs on a regular basis despite being banned in India since 2013.
