KEY POINTS

PEMSR ACT, 2013

·        The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation (PEMSR) Act came into force in 2013. The law prohibits employing manual scavengers, manual cleaning of sewers and septic tanks without protective equipment and construction of insanitary latrines.

Emergency Response Sanitation Unit (ERSU)

·        In its directive on the setting up of ERSUs, the state government said the municipal commissioner of the civic body concerned will be the Responsible Sanitation Authority (RSA).

·        The ERSU should be headed by a senior civic officer and other civic officers should be on the ERSU advisory board to decide the standard operating procedure (SoP) for workers who enter manholes for cleaning purposes.

·        The civic body will also have to set up a dedicated toll-free number for the ERSU. The unit will impart training to sanitation workers. Only workers trained and certified by an ERSU will be able to clean sewers, but the priority will be on using machines to get such work done.

·        In case a worker dies while cleaning a sewer, the civic body will have to hold an inquiry and register a police complaint.

Workshop on creating awareness on the issue

·        The workshops will have sessions on laws pertaining to sanitation workers, the establishment of ERSUs and their roles, presentations on the latest equipment, machines and protective gear.

·        Sanitation workers, NGOs, social organisations, housing society members and government officials have to participate in the workshops.

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