The pit-emptying challenge
Most of the world's population relies on on-site sanitation systems such as pit latrines and septic tanks, which need to be emptied when they fill. Many households cannot access affordable emptying services, while others are served using unsafe methods and poor operating standards.
Conventional vacuum trucks cannot reach many toilets in dense settlements or locations with narrow and unpaved access. The result is a gap between the households that need a safe service and the equipment available to provide it.
Testing with a local service provider
Beginning in 2021, Opero and Practica Foundation collaborated to test and commercialise the PuPu Pump, a mobile pit-emptying technology. The consortium tested the equipment with Gasia Poa, a waste-management enterprise in Kisumu, Kenya.
How the PuPu Pump works
The pump was developed specifically for toilets that exhausters cannot reach. It pulls sludge into a pumping unit and then pushes it up to 70 metres to a receiving tank—the push-and-pull action behind the name PuPu Pump.
A small compressor, vacuum reservoir, automatic duckbill non-return valve and manually operated suction-and-pressure valve work together to create a high vacuum quickly. The closed pumping process improves containment and reduces operator contact with fecal sludge and contamination of the surrounding environment.
Field testing demonstrated a pumping rate of 3,000 litres in 20–30 minutes, compatibility with tanks of different capacities and a more automated emptying process.
Service-provider results
Testing with Gasia Poa supported a shift from manual emptying to a more professional service model. The enterprise had served more than 40,000 customers and identified four operational benefits:
- Shorter emptying times and lower service-delivery costs, allowing the enterprise to reach more customers.
- Improved profitability and the potential to create more jobs.
- Safer working conditions by replacing direct manual emptying.
- Greater legitimacy for pit-emptying work, making it a more attractive opportunity for young people and women.
Commercialisation pathway
Commercialisation work focused on building a sustainable PuPu Pump supply chain through a distributor model, with an initial sales target of 15 units. It also outlined on-site sanitation training packages and demonstrations at the Opero WASH Technology Hub to help prospective customers evaluate the equipment.
