CHENNAI: With 38 fatalities, Tamil Nadu has recorded the third-highest number of cleanliness worker deaths during the hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks in the country.
The data from January 1 to June 30, 2026, was tabled in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday (July 21). Maharashtra topped the list with 58 deaths, followed by Haryana with 47, while Uttar Pradesh reported 37 deaths.
The figures were furnished by Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Ramdas Athawale, in response to an unstarred question raised by MP D Ravi Kumar on the eradication of manual scavenging.
The data showed that 332 cleanliness workers lost their lives across 18 states and union territories during the period. Besides the leading states, 29 deaths were reported in Delhi, 27 in Gujarat, 23 in Rajasthan, 13 each in Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal, 12 each in Karnataka and Punjab, nine in Telangana and five in Andhra Pradesh.
The Union government informed Parliament that 193 FIRs had been registered against agencies or officials responsible for employing persons for hazardous manual cleaning over the last five years. However, it said no evaluation had been carried out on the implementation of mechanised sewer cleaning across states.
Reiterating that manual scavenging is prohibited under the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013, the Centre said anyone employing a person for manual scavenging could face imprisonment of up to two years, a fine of up to Rs 1 lakh, or both.
It also said no instances of manual scavenging had been reported in the recent survey conducted across all districts.