Sewer and Septic Tank Deaths in 2026: What NCSK Data Shows and How the Law Protects Sanitation Workers
The National Commission for Safai Karamcharis (NCSK) released data showing that 31 people have died while cleaning sewers and septic tanks in 2026 so far.
In only 9 of these 31 cases has the full compensation been paid to the families.
Haryana reported the most deaths (8), followed by Maharashtra and Delhi (6 each). Uttar Pradesh reported 3, and Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan reported 2 each.
Earlier years were worse in number: 54 deaths in 2024 (full compensation in 43 cases) and 51 deaths in 2025 (full compensation in 28 cases).
Over 2016 to 2026, the NCSK counted 773 deaths, with full compensation paid in 677 cases. The highest yearly toll was 131 deaths in 2019.
The NCSK said its figures may change as new reports come in. It also said it has no legal duty to keep a complete national database of such deaths and runs no dedicated online portal for them.
The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013
The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 is India's main law against manual scavenging. Manual scavenging means cleaning, carrying or handling human excreta (human waste) with bare hands, for example from dry toilets, open drains or railway tracks. The 2013 Act bans this work completely. It also bans sending people into sewers and septic tanks without safety gear, and it promises to give the affected workers a new and dignified way to earn a living.
The 31 deaths in 2026 are cases of hazardous cleaning, which Section 7 of this Act has banned since 2013. Full compensation reaching families in only 9 cases shows the gap between the Supreme Court's ₹30 lakh order and what happens on the ground.
National Commission for Safai Karamcharis (NCSK)
The National Commission for Safai Karamcharis (NCSK) is a national body that looks after the welfare of safai karamcharis, meaning sanitation workers such as sweepers, sewer cleaners and manual scavengers. It studies their problems, checks whether government schemes and laws for them are working, hears their complaints, and advises the government on what to do. It works under the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
The 2026 death figures were released by the NCSK, which tracks such cases as part of its Section 31 role. Its own note that it has no legal duty to maintain a complete database shows the limits of a non-statutory commission.
NAMASTE Scheme: National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem
NAMASTE stands for National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem. It is a central government scheme that aims to make sanitation work in cities safe and dignified. Its main goal is zero deaths in sewer and septic tank cleaning. It does this by moving from human-entry cleaning to machine-based cleaning, and by giving workers training, safety gear, health insurance and help to start their own sanitation businesses.
NAMASTE's main target is zero deaths in sewer and septic tank cleaning. The 31 deaths recorded in 2026 show that this goal has not yet been reached, and that mechanisation and safety rules still do not reach every worker on the ground.
- Sewer and septic tank deaths in 2026 (so far): 31; full compensation paid in 9 cases
- Highest in 2026: Haryana (8), Maharashtra (6), Delhi (6)
- 2025: 51 deaths (full compensation in 28); 2024: 54 deaths (full compensation in 43)
- 2016 to 2026: 773 deaths, full compensation in 677 cases; worst year 2019 (131 deaths)
- Compensation for a sewer death: ₹30 lakh (Supreme Court, Dr. Balram Singh case, October 2023)
- Manual Scavengers Act, 2013: in force from 6 December 2013; Section 7 bans hazardous cleaning
- NCSK: set up 1994; non-statutory since 2004; tenure extended up to 31 March 2028
- NAMASTE: ₹349.70 crore, 2023-24 to 2025-26, run by NSKFDC