India's unorganised sector: Harsh work conditions and mental health crisis

From manual scavengers to gig workers, poor work culture fuels stress and dissatisfaction across India's workforce

A sewer is the world’s least desired workplace. Yet blocked sewers and septic tanks make up the daily place of work for over 7,00,000 Indians known as manual scavengers, a profession that is officially supposed to be banned in India. A minuscule proportion of such workers get to use the giant cleaning machines that their counterparts in the West can depend on to do their work every day. In the past five years, over 300 Indians, overwhelmingly from among the lowest castes and backward communities, died by drowning or asphyxiation in the line of duty.

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