Pump it up: making single-pit emptying safer in rural Bangladesh

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cg.contributor.affiliationInternational Water Management Instituteen
cg.contributor.crpWater, Land and Ecosystems
cg.coverage.countryBangladesh
cg.coverage.iso3166-alpha2BD
cg.coverage.regionAsia
cg.coverage.regionSouthern Asia
cg.creator.identifierSoumya Balasubramanya: 0000-0001-8035-7306
cg.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.2166/washdev.2016.049en
cg.issn2043-9083en
cg.issn2408-9362en
cg.issue3en
cg.journalJournal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Developmenten
cg.volume6en
dc.contributor.authorBalasubramanya, Soumyaen
dc.contributor.authorEvans, B.en
dc.contributor.authorAhmed, R.en
dc.contributor.authorHabib, A.en
dc.contributor.authorAsad, N.S.M.en
dc.contributor.authorVuong, L.en
dc.contributor.authorRahman, M.en
dc.contributor.authorHasan, M.en
dc.contributor.authorDey, D.en
dc.contributor.authorCamargo Valero, M.A.en
dc.date.accessioned2017-01-03T07:08:18Zen
dc.date.available2017-01-03T07:08:18Zen
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/78568
dc.titlePump it up: making single-pit emptying safer in rural Bangladeshen
dcterms.abstractSafe emptying and disposal of fecal sludge from pit latrines in rural areas has become a priority for the Government of Bangladesh. In this paper, we calculate the volume and characterize the hazards of managing sludge to identify technologies for safely emptying rural single pits. In Bhaluka subdistrict, an estimated 15,000 m3 of sludge is produced annually. Physical, chemical, and microbial analysis of samples of sludge taken from pit latrines indicate that the sludge has a high moisture content of around 90%, a C:N ration of 10:1, and a helminth presence of 41 eggs/g. In a field test of alternative emptying technologies, simple pumps such as the gulper emerged as feasible for use in rural areas, due to the liquid nature of the sludge, narrow roads, and limited incomes of rural households. The results suggest that current practices of emptying liquid sludge manually without any protective equipment poses risks to those who handle sludge, and the process needs to be semi-mechanized with immediate effect. These results are being used by the Bangladesh government to design policy for sludge management. In the near future, an organized service that safely empties single pits and transports sludge for treatment needs to be urgently designed.en
dcterms.accessRightsOpen Access
dcterms.available2016-06-30
dcterms.bibliographicCitationBalasubramanya, Soumya; Evans, B.; Ahmed, R.; Habib, A.; Asad, N. S. M.; Vuong, L.; Rahman, M.; Hasan, M.; Dey, D.; Camargo-Valero, M. 2016. Pump it up: making single-pit emptying safer in rural Bangladesh. Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development, 6(3):456-464. doi: 10.2166/washdev.2016.049en
dcterms.extent456-464en
dcterms.issued2016-09-01
dcterms.languageen
dcterms.licenseOther
dcterms.publisherIWA Publishingen
dcterms.subjectrural areasen
dcterms.subjectfaecal sludgeen
dcterms.subjectfaecal coliformsen
dcterms.subjectsewage effluent disposalen
dcterms.subjectsludge treatmenten
dcterms.subjectlatrinesen
dcterms.subjectsanitationen
dcterms.subjecthealth risksen
dcterms.subjecthelminthsen
dcterms.subjectliquid wastesen
dcterms.subjectpublic servicesen
dcterms.subjectstate interventionen
dcterms.subjectpumpingen
dcterms.typeJournal Article

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