Lok Sabha Question No. 5190 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-24
Subject: Casualties of Septic Tank Worker
Ministry: SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT
Asked by: Smt. Jyotsna Charandas Mahant, Smt. Rachna Banerjee

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5190 TO BE ANSWERED ON 24.03.2026

## CASUALTIES OF SEPTIC TANK WORKER

5190. SMT: JYOTSNA CHARANDAS MAHANT: SMT. RACHNA BANERJEE:

## Will the Minister of SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) the total number of deaths reported during sewer and tank cleaning operations since 2001, year and State-wise including Chhattisgarh and Gujarat; septic
- (b) the number of cases in the State where compensation has been aS per Supreme Court directions the number of cases where it remains pending, State-wise; paid and
- the number of mechanised sewer cleaning machines   procured and   deployed in Chhattisgarh since 2019; and
- (d) whether any time-bound exists to eliminate manual entry into sewers in the State? plan

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT (SHRI RAMDAS ATHAWALE)

(a): As reported by National  Commission for Safai Karamcharis (NCSK) the number of sanitation workers who have lost their lives due to hazardous cleaning of sewer and tanks since 2001\_ year-wise and State-wise including   Chhattisgarh and Gujarat; is at Annexure-I. septic

- (b): The number of cases where compensation has been and where compensation has not been confirmed, State-wise, is at Annexure-II: paid
- (c) (d): Swachh Bharat Mission Urban (SBM-U) 2.0 launched on October; 2021 includes a new component i.e. Used Water management (UWM) with one of the objectives as eradication of hazardous entry into sewers and septic tanks, and sustaining elimination of manual cleaning, through mechanization of sewer and tank cleaning operations. Central share funds for Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) with population less than 1 lakh are released for procuring tank desludging equipment; etc. Ist, septic septic

Under UWM component of Swachh Bharat Mission Urban (SBM-U) 2.0, a total amount of crores has been  approved for the State of Chhattisgarh for various components However; no proposal for procurement of desludging vehicles/ sewer cleaning machines has been received from the State of Chhattisgarh:

Annexure-I referred to in reply to part (a) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 5190 for answer on 24.03.2026 regarding Casualties of Septic Tank Worker:

## Number of sanitation workers who have lost their lives due to hazardous cleaning of sewer and septic tanks since 2001, Year-wise and State-wise including Chhattisgarh and Gujarat; is as under: -

| Year                   | 8   |    | 3   | 8   | 3   |    |    |     | 3   | 8   |     | 3           | 3   | 8   | 3   |      | 3 3   | 8   | 8   | 8   | 3   | 8 3         | 3      | 3      |
|------------------------|-----|----|-----|-----|-----|----|----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-------------|-----|-----|-----|------|-------|-----|-----|-----|-----|-------------|--------|--------|
| States/UTs             | 1   | 1  | 3 1 | 1 1 |     | 1  | 1  | 4 1 | 4 1 | 3 1 | 1 4 | 1           | 1 4 | 4   |     |      |       |     |     | 1   | 3   |             |        |        |
| Andhra Pradesh         |     |    |     |     |     |    |    | 3   |     |     |     |             |     | 5   |     | 2    |       |     | 3   |     |     |             |        |        |
| Bihar                  |     |    |     |     |     |    |    |     |     |     |     |             |     |     | 2   | 2    |       |     | 2   |     | 2   |             |        |        |
| Chandigarh             |     |    |     |     |     |    |    |     |     |     |     |             |     |     |     | 3    |       |     |     |     |     |             |        |        |
| Chhattisgarh_          |     |    |     |     |     |    |    |     |     |     |     |             |     |     |     |      |       |     |     |     |     |             |        |        |
| Dadra and Haveli Nagar |     |    |     |     |     |    |    |     |     |     |     |             |     |     |     |      |       |     |     |     |     |             |        |        |
| Delhi                  |     |    |     |     |     |    |    |     |     |     |     |             |     |     |     | 13   | 11 12 |     | 10  |     |     |             |        |        |
| Goa                    |     |    |     |     |     |    |    |     |     |     |     |             |     |     |     |      |       |     |     |     |     |             |        |        |
| Gujarat                |     |    |     |     | 16  |    |    | 8   |     | 5   |     |             |     |     |     | 12   | 24    |     | 5   |     | 10  |             |        |        |
| Haryana                |     |    |     | 2   | 2   |    |    | 4   | ;   | 3   |     | 3           |     |     |     |      | 10 16 | 6   |     |     |     |             |        |        |
| Jharkhand              |     |    |     |     |     |    |    |     |     |     |     |             |     |     |     |      | 6     |     |     | 23  |     |             |        |        |
| Karnataka              |     |    |     |     |     |    |    |     | 3   | 2   |     |             | 5   | 3   | 14  |      | 5 7   | 5   | 7   | 3   |     |             |        |        |
| Kerala                 |     |    |     |     |     |    |    |     |     |     |     |             |     |     |     |      |       |     |     |     |     |             |        |        |
| Madhya Pradesh         |     |    |     |     |     |    |    |     |     |     |     |             |     |     |     |      |       |     |     |     | 2   |             |        |        |
| Maharashtra            |     |    |     |     |     |    |    |     |     |     |     |             |     | ;   | 8   |      |       | 16  |     |     | 10  | 14          |        |        |
| Odisha                 |     |    |     |     |     |    |    |     |     |     |     |             |     |     |     |      |       |     | 2   |     |     | 5           |        |        |
| Puducherry             |     |    |     |     |     |    |    |     |     |     |     |             |     |     |     |      | 3     |     |     |     |     |             | Punjab | Punjab |
| Rajstaadu              |     |    |     |     |     |    |    |     |     |     |     |             |     | 4   |     |      | 32    |     |     |     |     |             |        |        |
|                        |     |    |     |     |     |    | 3  |     |     |     |     |             |     |     |     | 8    |       |     |     |     |     |             |        |        |
|                        |     |    |     | 16  | 14  |    |    | 5   |     |     |     |             |     |     | 8   |      |       | 16  |     |     | 9   |             |        |        |
| Telangana              |     |    |     |     |     |    |    |     |     |     |     |             |     | 34  |     |      |       |     |     |     |     |             |        |        |
| Tripura                |     |    |     |     |     |    |    |     |     |     |     |             |     |     |     |      |       |     |     |     |     |             |        |        |
| Uttar Pradesh          |     |    |     |     |     |    |    |     |     |     |     |             | 4   |     |     |      |       |     | 5   |     |     | 8           |        |        |
|                        |     |    |     |     |     |    |    |     |     |     | 8   | 2           |     | 6   |     | 20   | 22    |     |     |     |     |             |        |        |
| Uttarakhand            |     |    |     |     |     |    |    |     |     | 2   |     |             | 3   |     |     | 2 10 |       | 2   |     |     | 3   |             |        |        |
| West Bengal_           |     |    |     |     |     |    |    |     |     |     |     |             | 6   |     |     |      | 74    |     |     |     | 65  | 54| 48 |        |        |
| Grand Total            | 16  | 11 | 28  | 32  | 34  | 16 | 22 | 38  | 28  | 29  | 37  | 44| 73 | 58  | 70  | 62  |      | 131   | 40  | 62  | 88  |     |             |        |        |

## Annexure-II referred to in reply to part (b) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 5190 for answer on 24.03.2026 regarding Casualties of Septic Tank Worker:

The number of cases where compensation has been and where compensation has not paid

|    | Name of StatelUT       | Total Number of sewer deaths   |   Full payment 210/30 Lac | Partial Payment 30 Lac   | No Payment / payment not confirmed yet   |
|----|------------------------|--------------------------------|---------------------------|--------------------------|------------------------------------------|
| 1  | Andhra Pradesh         | 28                             |                        27 |                          |                                          |
| 2  | Bihar                  | 6                              |                         6 |                          |                                          |
| 3  | Chhatisgarh            | 6                              |                         6 |                          |                                          |
| 4  | Chandigarh             | 6                              |                         6 |                          |                                          |
| 5  | Dadar and Nagar Haveli | 3                              |                         3 |                          |                                          |
| 6  | Delhi                  | 124                            |                       106 |                          | 11                                       |
| 7  | Goa                    | 7                              |                         2 | 4                        | 1                                        |
| 8  | Gujarat                | 207                            |                       177 |                          |                                          |
| 9  | Haryana                | 124                            |                        97 | 10                       | 12                                       |
| 10 | Jharkhand              | 4                              |                         1 | 3                        |                                          |
| 11 | Karnataka              | 96                             |                        95 |                          |                                          |
| 12 | Kerala                 | 13                             |                        13 |                          |                                          |
| 13 | Maharashtra            | 97                             |                        85 | 5                        |                                          |
| 14 | Madhya Pradesh         |                                |                        25 |                          |                                          |
| 15 | Odisha                 | 2                              |                         2 |                          |                                          |
| 16 | Puducherry             | 9                              |                         8 |                          |                                          |
| 17 | Punjab                 | 51                             |                        49 |                          |                                          |
| 18 | Rajasthan              | 63                             |                        57 | 3                        |                                          |
| 19 | Tamil Nadu             | 264                            |                       257 |                          | 2                                        |
| 20 | Telangana              | 26                             |                        22 | 3                        |                                          |
| 21 | Tripura                | 2                              |                         2 |                          |                                          |
| 22 | Uttarakhand            | 9                              |                         8 | 1                        |                                          |
| 23 | Uttar Pradesh          |                                |                       120 | 5                        | 15                                       |
| 24 | West Bengal            | 31                             |                        27 | 3                        |                                          |
|    | Total                  | 1353                           |                      1201 | 46                       | 51                                       |

*****