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Manual sludge pumps like the Pooh Pump or the Gulper are relatively new inventions and have shown promise as being low-cost, effective solutions for sludge emptying where, because of access, safety or economics, other sludge emptying techniques are not possible. The pump works on the same concept as a water pump: the handle is pumped, the liquid (sludge) rises up through the bottom of the pump and is forced out of a tap (sludge spout). Hand-pumps can be made locally with steels rods and valves in a PVC casing. The bottom of the pipe is lowered down into the pit/tank while the operator remains at the surface to operate the pump, thus removing the need for someone to enter the pit. As the operator pushes and pulls the handle, the sludge is pumped up through the main shaft and is then discharged through the V-shaped discharge spout. The sludge that is discharged can be collected in barrels, bags or carts, and removed from the site with little mess or danger to the operator.
===MAPET===A MAPET consists of a hand pump connected to a vacuum tank of 200 litre mounted on a pushcart. A hose is connected to the tank and is used to suck sludge from a pit. When the hand pump is turned, air is sucked out of the vacuum tank and sludge is sucked up into the tank. Depending on the consistency of the sludge, the MAPET can pump up to a height of 3m. Sludge is transported to a neighbourhood collection / disposal point from where vacuum tankers transfer it to city treatment plants.
A motorized version of the MAPET is the [[Motorized Emptying and Transport#Vacutug|Vacutug]], developed by UN-Habitat.
The MAPET and Sludge Pumps require daily maintenance (cleaning, repairing and desinfection). Workers that manually empty latrines should clean and maintain their protective clothing and tools to prevent contact with the sludge. If manual access to the contents of a pit require breaking open the slab, it may be more cost effective to use a Gulper to empty the latrine. The Gulper cannot empty the entire pit and therefore, emptying may be required more frequently (once a year), however, this may be a cheaper alternative than replacing a broken slab.
==References==