Act Number: 46

Act Name: The Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993

Year: 1993

Enactment Date: 1993-06-05

Long Title: An Act to provide for the prohibition of employment of manual scavengers as well as construction or continuance of dry latrines and for the regulation of construction and maintenance of water-seal latrines and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

Ministry: Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs

Department:

Section 2: Definitions.
    In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,--
     (a) "area", in relation to any provision of this Act, means such area as the State Government may, having regard to the requirements of that provision, specify by notification;
     (b) "building" means a house, out-house, stable, latrine, urinal, sheet house, hut, wall (other than a boundary wall) or any other structure whether made of masonry, bricks, wood, mud, metal or other material;
     (c) "dry latrine" means a latrine other than a water-seal latrine;
     (d) "environment" includes water, air and land and the inter-relationship which exists among and between water, air and land and human beings, other living creatures, plants, micro-organism and property;
     (e) "environmental pollutant" means any solid, liquid or gaseous substance present in such concentration as may be, or tend to be, injurious to environment;
     (f) "environmental pollution" means the presence in the environment of any environmental pollutant;
     (g) "Executive Authority" means an Executive Authority appointed under sub-section (1) of section 5;
     (h) "HUDCO" means the Housing and Urban Development Corporation Limited, a Government company registered by that name under the Companies Act, 1956 (1 of 1956);
     (i) "latrine" means a place set apart for defecation together with the structure comprising such place, the receptacle therein for collection of human excreta and the fittings and apparatus, if any, connected therewith;
     (j) "manual scavenger" means a person engaged in or employed for manually carrying human excreta and the expression manual scavenging shall be construed accordingly;
     (k) "notification" means a notification published in the Official Gazette;
     (l) "prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this Act;
     (m) "State Government", in relation to a Union territory, means the Administrator thereof appointed under article 239 of the Constitution;
     (n) "water-seal latrine" means a pour-flush latrine, water flush latrine or a sanitary latrine with a minimum water-seal of 20 millimetres diameter in which human excreta is pushed in or flushed by water.
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