Balasubramanya, S, Evans, B orcid.org/0000-0001-9815-3141, Ahmed, R et al. (7 more authors) (2016) Pump it up: making single-pit emptying safer in rural Bangladesh. Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development, 6 (3). pp. 456-464. ISSN 2043-9083
Abstract
Safe 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 gulpher emerged feasible for use in rural area, due to the liquid nature of 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.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2016, IWA Publishing. This is an author produced version of a paper published in Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | Bangladesh; disposal; emptying; fecal sludge; rural; sanitation; single-pit latrines |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences (Leeds) > School of Civil Engineering (Leeds) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number Department for International Development L13.0080/E11.34A-WP5/479 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 19 Jul 2016 10:38 |
Last Modified: | 06 Nov 2017 23:32 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | IWA Publishing |
Identification Number: | 10.2166/washdev.2016.049 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:102514 |