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Introduction

The Government of India issued an advisory in July 2019 to all States to establish Emergency Response Sanitation Units (ERSU) in all cities with the objective to systematize human entry into sewer/septic tanks through the organization of a professional, well-trained, motivated, and appropriately equipped establishment.
Despite several efforts by various Ministries, the sanitation sector remains highly unregulated, and sanitation services are delivered in various forms/modes – formal government delivery of services through its employees or through service providers formally contracted by the government, informal service providers not registered or licensed, and finally by individual sanitary workers. Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 of 'clean water and sanitation for all' cannot be fully achieved without ensuring SDG 3 (good health and well-being) and SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth) for sanitation workers.


An external, dedicated, and sensitive support structure, from the national level to the city level, is required to inculcate safe occupational practices, strengthen the operationalization of Sanitation Response Units, and promote skill development and entrepreneurship. The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE) and MoHUA formulated the National Action for Mechanized Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE) scheme to make sanitation work safer across urban India in a time-bound mission mode. NAMASTE is a convergent effort among different Ministries to ensure the safety and dignity of sanitation workers.

Key Definitions

Manual Scavenger and Manual Scavenging

As per Manual Scavengers Act,2013 “manual scavenger” means a person engaged or employed, at the commencement of this Act or at any time thereafter, by an individual or a local authority or an agency or a contractor, for manually cleaning, carrying, disposing of, or otherwise handling in any manner, human excreta in an insanitary latrine or in an open drain or pit into which the human excreta from the insanitary latrines is disposed of, or on railway track or in such other spaces or premises, as the Central Government or a State Government may notify, before the excreta fully decomposes and the expression “manual scavenging” shall be construed accordingly.

Hazardous Cleaning of Sewer/ Septic Tank

As per MSAct,2013 “hazardous cleaning” by an employee, in relation to a sewer or septic tank, means its manual cleaning by such employee without the employer fulfilling his obligations to provide protective gear (as defined in MS Rule, 2013) and other cleaning devices and ensuring observance of safety precautions, as may be prescribed or provided in any other law, for the time being in force or rules made there under

Sanitation Workers/Safai Karamcharis

“Sanitation Worker” means a person, engaged in or employed for any sanitation work and includes waste pickers and also those persons who were engaged in cleaning of sewers and septic tank, but excludes domestic workers.

Sewer and Septic Tank Workers (SSWs)

Sanitation Workers who were engaged in cleaning of sewers and septic tanks will be identified as sewer and septic tank workers during the profiling conducted under the Scheme.

Sewer Entry Professional (SEPs)

Sanitation Workers who were engaged in cleaning of sewers and septic tank and required to enter into Sewer and Septic tank with permission and well equipped with safety kits and devices will be identified as sewer entry professionals (SEPs). All SRU should identify such SEPs during the profiling of SSWs and only then they will be allowed to enter in Sewer and Septic tanks.

WastePicker

The Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules 2016 define Waste Pickers as under “Wastepicker” means a person or groups of persons informally engaged in collection and recovery of reusable and recyclable solid waste from the source of waste generation the streets, bins, material recovery facilities, processing and waste disposal facilities for sale to recyclers directly or through intermediaries to earn their livelihood.

Presentation Of NAMASTE SSW

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

NAMASTE is an abbreviation for “National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem”.
The intended outcomes of the NAMASTE scheme include zero fatalities in sanitation work, formalization and skilling of sanitation workers, elimination of direct contact with human faecal matter, establishment, strengthening and capacitating of Emergency Response Sanitation Units (ERSUs), and empowerment of sanitation workers through self-help groups and entrepreneurship, access to alternate livelihood options, and occupational safety training to all sewer and septic tank workers (SSWs).
PSSO is Private Sanitation Service Organisation who are involved in cleaning and maintenance of sewer and septic tanks and may or may not be empanelled/registered/contracted/licensed with ULB.
The role of ULB is nodal authority for implementation of NAMASTE scheme. ULBs will have to do enumeration of SSWs engaged by ULB/parastatal agencies and all PSSOs through profiling camps. Further, ULB shall facilitate occupational safety training to SSWs for the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and safety gear along with handling of mechanized cleaning operations provided through NSKFDC. Additionally, ULB will have to support access to alternate livelihoods for SSWs through nominating SSW/dependents as beneficiary of SwachhtaUdyamiYojana (SUY) for linkage with capital subsidy to procure sanitation-related machines, provide long-term and assured mechanized cleaning work contract and mobilize SSW into SHG through linkage with NULM for sanitation related enterprise.
In this case, the ULB should consult the concerned parastatal agency/authority and collect the information of PSSOs, and SSWs working with them and collate the information. These workers must be informed for profiling camp.
Sewer and septic tank Sanitation Workers (SSW) are directly exposed to hazardous gases like methane, hydrogen sulfide,carbon monoxide, faecal sludge and various occupational safety challenges while cleaning of sewers and septic tanks. Apart from increased risk of morbidity that these workers face due to their occupations, they face severe risks of losing their lives due to unsafe/un-regulated entry into sewer lines or septic tanks. This necessitates mechanization of sanitation work as mechanization eliminates sanitation worker’s direct contact with faecal matter. Use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and Safety Devices help in minimizing occupational hazards due to manual entry into sewers and septic tanks. ‘NAMASTE’ scheme aims to provide PPE kits (Personal Protective Equipment), safety devices and equipment for cleaning of sewer and septic tanks through ERSU.
The Responsible Sanitation Authority (RSA) is designated as the District Magistrate or Municipal Commissioner of a major town or the regional head of a parastatal agency for their respective jurisdiction, including smaller clustered towns (ERSU Advisory, MoHUA, 2013). Their roles encompass ensuring timely service delivery, protecting sanitation workers, providing training, upgrades, equipment, and overseeing ERSU operations. In cases where human entry becomes necessary, the RSA assumes full authority and responsibility at the entry site until the task is deemed complete.
The profiling camp is conducted to create a comprehensive digital database of Sewer and septic tank workers (SSWs) employed by ULBs, parastatal agencies, private sanitation service organizations (PSSOs), and other private operators.It is evident that identifying the sanitation workers and connecting them with entitlements has been a challenge due to lack of survey database. Hence, it is important to create a national evidence base of sanitation workers to link workers and their families with NAMASTE scheme benefits. To create this database through enumeration on a digital platform, profiling camps are being conducted by ULBs.
The ULBs will assume responsibility for gathering data for the profiling of SSWs and their families, utilizing a mobile app or web portal.
The role of the ULB in profiling of SSW is as follows:
1- Nominate a ULB Nodal Officer.
2- Collect basic details of SSWs employed by the ULB, parastatal agencies and PSSOs through NAMASTE portal.
3- Conduct IEC through posters, hoardings in local languages for workers to know of the camp date and locations.
The scheme focuses on Sewer and Septic Tank Workers (SSWs) who are engaged in either (a) cleaning of sewer network/ machine holes and/ or (b) emptying of septic tanks/ pits. SSWs may be employed by ULBs, parastatal agencies, PSSOs, state-level departments and other private operators. SSWs are the direct beneficiaries of the scheme.
Yes, the NAMASTE scheme includes provisions for training sanitation workers. It focuses on skill-building, capacity development, and occupational safety training. This helps enhance the professionalism and expertise of sanitation workers.
1. Ensure safety and dignity of sanitation workers in urban India and enhancing their occupational safety through capacity building and improved access to PPT Kits, safety devices and machines.
2. In addition, NAMASTE would bring about a behavior change amongst citizens towards sanitation workers and enhance demand for safe sanitation services.
3. Now waste pickers have also been included in Namaste scheme from the current financial year and through the scheme, they will be included in the solid waste management process by ensuring their safety and dignity.
Sanitation workers who are engaged in cleaning and maintenance of sewers including those managing pumping stations, manholes/machine holes, and sewer lines; and those engaged in septic tank cleaning. Such workers may or may not be engaged by ULB/parastatal, empanelled/registered/licensed Private Sanitation Service Organisation (PSSO) and other private sanitation service providers.
The role of State Government in implementation of NAMASTE is very important as State Government is to ensure the implementation of the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavangers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 which prohibits hazardous cleaning of sewer and septic tanks. The State should have to immediately facilitate and issue notification for setting up of Emergency Response Sanitation Unit (ERSU) and designate Responsible Sanitation Authority (RSA) in all Municipal Corporations and Districts with establishment of helpline number 14420. Further, necessary actions should be taken up by State Level Nodal Officer for NAMASTE to support convergence across the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), NAMASTE and Deendayal Antyoday Yojana – National Urban Livelihood Mission (DAY-NULM). The State has to nominate a State NAMASTE Nodal Officer, from the Urban Development Department, for implementation of NAMASTE.
The scheme provides support in various forms, such as occupational safety training, provision of personal protective equipment (PPE), health insurance coverage, livelihood counselling and support, and access to subsidized loans for the purchase of sanitation-related equipment and linkage with other government schemes for them and their families.
When the cleaning of sewer or septic tank is beyond capability of machines, only trained sanitation worker, properly equipped and authorised by RSA should be allowed to enter sewer or septic tank for cleaning.As per MS Rules 2013, Chapter II,
3 (1)(e) “Any circumstance, when it is absolutely necessary to have manual sewage cleaning, after the CEO of the local authority has permitted to do so after recording in writing the specific valid reasons for allowing such cleaning”
3(2) “Any person engaged to clean a sewer or septic tank shall be provided by his employer, protective gear and safety devices”.
The primary objective of the Emergency Response Sanitation Unit (ERUU) is to offer a professional, well-trained, motivated, and adequately equipped workforce for the maintenance and management of sewers and septic tanks. The aim is to eliminate fatalities resulting from workers entering sewers and septic tanks by providing them with proper personal protective equipment (PPE) and training. It is the responsibility of ERSU to supply safety devices and equipment for confined space entry to Sewer Entry Professionals (SEPs). ERSU is to be headed by the Responsible Sanitation Authority (RSA).
Emergency Response Sanitation Unit (ERSU) will be set up in all Municipal Corporations and/or Water & Sewer Board and in capital cities of each State/UT, and at district headquarters. The ERSU shall be responsible to meet sanitation emergency requests from all smaller towns within a cluster say 75 km radius (ERSU Advisory, MoHUA,2019). 1100 ERSUs are envisaged to be set up across the country in Urban areas
Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) will organize city-level NAMASTE Camps. In the cities where the responsibility of providing sewer cleaning and septic tank is divided among ULB and the Parastatal agency, the ULB should coordinate with other departments such as PHED for conducting camps and if required seek support from the State Nodal NAMASTE Office
The camps can be scheduled at such times that it is convenient for the SSWs and PSSOs to attend and does not impact their wages for the day. For example, camps for ULB staff may be conducted during the day and for SSWs working for PSSO or other private contractors may be scheduled in the evenings.
The scheme aims to enhance the occupational safety of sanitation workers by providing personal protective equipment (PPE) kits, such as gloves, body suits, masks, and safety goggles etc. These measures help protect sanitation workers from any diseases/hazards associated with their work.
The capital subsidy is provided by way of upfront capital subsidy to SSWs.