In the 1990s, the importance of pit emptying in high-density urban areas was recognized. Where other countries focused on manual emptying, UN-Habitat and the Netherlands focused on mechanical emptying.
When it comes to mechanical emptying of onsite systems, WASTE was and still is at the hart of the matters. In 1988, WASTE started the MAPET. together with Oxfam GB and IFRC WASTE pioneered the ROM, see testing report and video 1, video on emptying pit latrines in Maputo by WSUP, 3 and 4. Practica, supported by WASTE, FINISH, WaterWorX and A4A developed the PuPu pump, see video 1 and 2.
UN-Habitat is also active when it comes to mechanical emptying of onsite systems. Bjorn Brandber wrote an extensive overview of the situation in 2012 and in 2013 an overview was published where the PuPu pump is mentioned. Water for LIfe didi a lot of work in developing aided manual emptying using the Gulper etc. WSUP also focuses on manual emptying see experiences of the 'dream team' in Lusaka. Opero Services in Kisumu, Kenya, offers experiences with different options.
