Manual Pit Emptiers: Woes and Opportunities

If wealth was a result of hard work and enterprise, every manual emptiers would have been a millionaire. 

Three months ago, our septic tank was full, so we hired a private emptier with a vacuum tanker to empty it. Last week, to our surprise, there was an indication that the septic tank was full again despite it being built based on the standard guideline. The easiest suspicion was that the emptier had pulled a fast one on us and never really emptied the tank. In response, we engaged another emptier four days ago, who, to everyone's surprise, removed as much sludge as the first emptier. In our confusion about how the septic tank could have filled up so quickly, a freelance plumber on a street corner offered a different possibility.

He claimed that over time, sludge tends to block the honeycomb structures used in soakaway, which ultimately affects soil porosity and creates a cement-like structure that hampers water percolation. This revelation blew our minds; we had never seen it that way before. Now, let me expand on this phenomenon.

Fecal sludge is the solid and semi-solid waste generated from onsite sanitation systems like pit latrines and septic tanks. When fecal sludge is improperly managed or disposed of, it can be applied to the soil as a form of fertilizer or contaminant. The composition of fecal sludge includes organic matter, pathogens, and various substances that can affect soil properties. If excessive amounts of fecal sludge are applied, it can lead to soil compaction and reduced porosity. Compacted soil has fewer pore spaces, limiting the movement of air, water, and nutrients essential for plant growth.

Moreover, the organic matter present in fecal sludge can undergo decomposition, consuming oxygen in the soil. This reduction in oxygen levels can further impact soil health and porosity while inhibiting the growth of beneficial soil organisms. Managing fecal sludge properly is crucial to minimize its negative impact on soil quality and promote sustainable agricultural practices. This entails implementing proper treatment, containment, and safe disposal practices. 

The soakaway, also known as a drainfield or leach field, which is an area of soil or gravel specifically designed to receive and disperse the effluent from a septic tank through a pipe buried in the ground had been blocked by soils. Thus, the effluent was not getting distributed to percolate into the surrounding soil, where it was supposed to undergo further biological treatment and filtration. instead of the soil acting as a natural filter, removing pathogens and contaminants before the water eventually reaches groundwater, it compacted limiting percolation. Soak pits are best suited for soil with excellent absorption, rendering clay, hard packed or rocky soil as not appropriate.

Wastewater collected after the soil compacted in the soak away

In non-sewered areas, septic tanks must be emptied whenever they fill up them because of the lack of space to dig new pits. But whenever space permits especially in rural areas with very low population density and more land available, burying the pits and building another one somewhere is an acceptable feacal sludge management practice. Thus, emptiers play a critical role in fecal sludge management (FSM), which encompasses tasks such as emptying pits of fecal matter, transporting the sludge, and facilitating its treatment and safe disposal.

Though they have been providing non-sewered sanitation solutions in every corner of the country, manual emptiers face numerous occupational health issues, ranging from the stigma associated with their work to the challenging environments they operate in. Regrettably, they have been left to self-regulate despite septage being a very infectious material that can cause disease if ingested or if it encounters broken skin. Thus, relying on operators to be responsible for their personal safety and safety on disposal is a significant mistake with serious public health ramifications.

In 2018, the National Water and Sanitation Council (NWASCO), the regulatory body overseeing water and sanitation in Zambia, introduced the Urban On-site Sanitation and Faecal Sludge Management Framework for Provision and Regulation. According to this framework, NWASCO is responsible for regulating onsite sanitation through existing licenses with water and sanitation commercial utilities (CUs) covering their respective service areas. Any private operator, like the two gentlemen who serviced our septic tank within a CU's service area, should have a management contract with the CU that stipulates adherence to the requirements. However, having a regulatory framework in place is one thing, and its actual implementation is another. Zambia generally struggled with enforcement.

Private sanitation workers should be formalized. Promoting the professionalization of masons and emptiers through official licensing and certification processes authorized by the government not only elevates the standing of sanitation personnel but also enhances the overall strength of the sanitation service chain. Alongside improving the competence and expertise of workers, it is crucial to establish mechanisms that ensure their responsibility for the quality of their services. This can be achieved by facilitating consumer accessibility through the establishment of a local authority or CU managed registry of masons and emptiers and prioritizing their safety and protection during work by formulating standardized protocols for occupational health and safety.

Promoting private emptiers is not a zero-sum game but a win–win situation, protecting groundwater against faecal contamination whilst making a livelihood out of it. This is because emptiers can also be trained in hoy to hygienically collect and transform sludge into other products. Thus, all WASH and human and human rights practitioners - including the governments - must be advocating dignified and safe working conditions for private emptiers.