The Neglect of Human Life Amidst Urban Progress
As our nation marches forward, constructing smart cities and embracing technological advancements, there lies a stark, unsettling contrast between our aspirations and the grim reality on the ground. Sanitation workers , who are the backbone of our urban sanitation infrastructure, are facing a relentless wave of preventable deaths while cleaning sewers and septic tanks. Despite the progress in urban development, we appear to be losing our humanity, turning a blind eye to the suffering and fatalities of those who toil in hazardous conditions beneath our cities. The indifference towards the safai karamcharis (cleaners) who put their bodies on the line (manual scavenging) to clean the drains, end up paying with their own lives to keep the whole system functioning for the rest of us. Manual Scavenging in India Recent statistics paint a disheartening picture. From 2019 to 2023, 377 people lost their lives while cleaning sewers and septic tanks, according to the Rajya Sabha. The Safai Kara
