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Rémi Kaupp gravatar image
WaterAid

Hi Sanjay, there's a few possibilities indeed. The ecompendium of sanitation systems and technologies describe a range of possibilities, and usefully includes not only pumping tools but also transport and disposal / treatment / reuse, which can often more critical than pumping out.

In very short, on the pumping side, the MAPET has largely failed; the VacuTug is used in Mozambique and I think in Bangladesh but it's often commercially unviable due to very low speeds. The Gulper is the fashionable pump at the moment, being very low-cost and easy to use, but still easily blocked by solid waste in pits. A new version, the Rammer, is being developed by Water for People.

There's a few other pumps (eVac, nanoVac...) being developed, see this story. However transport of sludge remains a big issue: if a tanker can't access, then a normal truck often can't either, and carrying 200-litre drums of sludge isn't an easy task. We in WaterAid have tried motorised tricycles in Tanzania, and Water for People has tried different options in Malawi and Uganda, but it is still what hinders the business model.

Also, many pumps / systems are being designed for latrine pits rather than septic tanks, which have a more liquid content.

I suggest you look at: Our tech brief; Resources from the FSM3 conference for the more bleeding edge of what is happening; and EAWAG's FSM book for a more comprehensive view.