The right to sanitation in India: Realisation of what?

Abstract

In the context of recent degeneration in manual scavengers in Uttar Pradesh, India, where women are forced to undergo uterus removal surgery to perform efficiently at work, this article investigates what precisely realisation of the right to sanitation in India entails. It reviews the existing literature and finds that there is a narrow conception of sanitation as an infrastructure provision that influences the conceptualisation of sanitation as a right in India. The limited understanding of sanitation impacts the livability outcomes of the individuals, specifically the Dalit manual scavengers who are subjected to insufferable circumstances. The paper argues that the evaluation of the realisation of sanitation as a right is comprehensively achieved by deploying Amartya Sen's conception of justice, given its compatibility with the human rights framework. It concerns with the reduction of human suffering. It assesses individual well-being by focusing on expanding people's freedoms and opportunities to live a life of dignity. HIGHLIGHTS Sanitation planning in India suffers from limited understanding.; Right to sanitation is equated with resource provision alone.; Ignores the emerging inequalities caused by gender and caste.; It becomes difficult to hold the state responsible for non-compliance with sanitation requirements.; Rights language should review the status of Dalit manual scavengers once sanitation resources have been ensured.;

Keywords

• caste system
• manual scavenging
• right to sanitation
• sanitation justice
• swacch bharat mission
• well-being approach