According to a poll, 92% of those who clean septic tanks and urban sewers are from SC, ST, or OBC categories.

• Government data from over 3,000 urban local bodies in 29 States and Union Territories reveals 91.9% of the 38,000 workers profiled belong to Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, or other backward class communities.
• Of the profiled workers, 68.9% were SC, 14.7% were OBC, 8.3% were ST, and 8% were from the general category.
• Between 2019 and 2023, at least 377 people died from hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks.
• The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is conducting the profiling of sewer and septic tank workers as part of its NAMASTE programme.
• The programme aims to mechanize sewer work and prevent deaths due to hazardous cleaning work.
• Since the scheme began a year ago, 3,326 urban local bodies have profiled around 38,000 SSWs.