Chapter I PRELIMINARY

1. (1) This Act may be called the Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993.
2. (2) It applies in the first instance to the whole of the States of Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tripura and West Bengal and to all the Union territories and it shall also apply to such other State which adopts this Act by resolution passed in that behalf under clause (1) of article 252 of the Constitution.
3. (3) It shall come into force in the States of Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tripura and West Bengal and in the Union territories on such date1 as the Central Government may, by notification, appoint and in any other State which adopts this Act under clause (1) of article 252 of the Constitution, on the date of such adoption.

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,--

1. (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;
2. (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;
3. (c) "dry latrine" means a latrine other than a water-seal latrine;
4. (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;
5. (e) "environmental pollutant" means any solid, liquid or gaseous substance present in such concentration as may be, or tend to be, injurious to environment;
6. (f) "environmental pollution" means the presence in the environment of any environmental pollutant;
7. (g) "Executive Authority" means an Executive Authority appointed under sub-section (1) of section 5;
8. (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;
9. (j) "manual scavenger" means a person engaged in or employed for manually carrying human excreta and the expression manual scavenging shall be construed accordingly;
10. (k) "notification" means a notification published in the Official Gazette;
11. (l) "prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this Act;
12. (m) "State Government", in relation to a Union territory, means the Administrator thereof appointed under article 239 of the Constitution;
13. (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.