The Millennium Development Goals advocate the need for increased coverage of improved sanitation, but they omit to recognize the importance of latrine maintenance to uphold sanitary conditions. This paper describes a pilot initiative in Bangladesh to improve the traditional method of manual desludging of leach pits and septic tanks. Dushtha Shasthya Kendra (DSK), an NGO based in Dhaka, operates a motorized desludging system to remove the waste from on-site sanitation. Although DSK has found there to be a considerable demand for this service from households, institutions and commercial properties, it is only recently that income covers operational and maintenance costs. However, this is not sufficient to repay capital investments, which limits the capacity of DSK to scale up the operation or other NGOs to replicate the service in other areas. In addition, the problem of sludge disposal has only been partially solved, which highlights the need to develop a citywide strategy for faecal sludge management incorporating transfer stations and off-site treatment.

Centre for Urban Studies (CUS), National Institute of Population Research and Training (NIPORT) and MEASURE Evaluation (2006) ‘Slums of Urban Bangladesh, Mapping and Census 2005’, Carolina Population Center of the University of North Carolina [online] http://www.cpc.unc.edu/measure/research/bang_slums [accessed 15 January 2008]. http://www.cpc.unc.edu/measure/research/bang_slums

Chowdhury, F.J. and Amin, A.T.M.N. (2006) ‘Environmental assessment in slum improvement programmes: Some evidence from a study on infrastructure projects in two Dhaka slums’, Environmental Impact Assessment Review 26: 530-52.

Hoque, B.A., Hoque, M.M., Ali, N., and Coghlan, S.E. (1994) ‘Sanitation in a poor settlement in Bangladesh: A challenge for the 1990s’, Environ Urban 6: 79-86.

OneWorld South Asia (2008) ‘Dhaka's slum population doubles in a decade’ [online] http://southasia.oneworld.net/article/view/133390/1/ [accessed 15 January 2008]. http://southasia.oneworld.net/article/view/133390/1/

Parkinson, J., Hasan, M. and Rashid, H. (2005) Decentralised Wastewater Management in Bangladesh, GHK Research Report, GHK International Ltd, London.

UNDESC (2003) ‘World Urbanization Prospects: The 2003 Revision’, Population Division [online] http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/wup2003/2003wup.htm [accessed 15 January 2008]. http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/wup2003/2003wup.htm

United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) (2007) ‘State of World Population 2007: Unleashing the potential of urban growth’ [online] http://www.unfpa.org/swp [accessed 15 January 2008]. http://www.unfpa.org/swp

WHO/UNICEF (2006) ‘Meeting the MDG drinking water and sanitation target: the urban and rural challenge of the decade’, Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation, World Health Organization Geneva, Switzerland; UNICEF New York, USA.

Centre for Urban Studies (CUS), National Institute of Population Research and Training (NIPORT) and MEASURE Evaluation (2006) ‘Slums of Urban Bangladesh, Mapping and Census 2005’, Carolina Population Center of the University of North Carolina [online] http://www.cpc.unc.edu/measure/research/bang_slums [accessed 15 January 2008]. http://www.cpc.unc.edu/measure/research/bang_slums

Chowdhury, F.J. and Amin, A.T.M.N. (2006) ‘Environmental assessment in slum improvement programmes: Some evidence from a study on infrastructure projects in two Dhaka slums’, Environmental Impact Assessment Review 26: 530-52.

Hoque, B.A., Hoque, M.M., Ali, N., and Coghlan, S.E. (1994) ‘Sanitation in a poor settlement in Bangladesh: A challenge for the 1990s’, Environ Urban 6: 79-86.

OneWorld South Asia (2008) ‘Dhaka's slum population doubles in a decade’ [online] http://southasia.oneworld.net/article/view/133390/1/ [accessed 15 January 2008]. http://southasia.oneworld.net/article/view/133390/1/

Parkinson, J., Hasan, M. and Rashid, H. (2005) Decentralised Wastewater Management in Bangladesh, GHK Research Report, GHK International Ltd, London.

UNDESC (2003) ‘World Urbanization Prospects: The 2003 Revision’, Population Division [online] http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/wup2003/2003wup.htm [accessed 15 January 2008]. http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/wup2003/2003wup.htm

United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) (2007) ‘State of World Population 2007: Unleashing the potential of urban growth’ [online] http://www.unfpa.org/swp [accessed 15 January 2008]. http://www.unfpa.org/swp

WHO/UNICEF (2006) ‘Meeting the MDG drinking water and sanitation target: the urban and rural challenge of the decade’, Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation, World Health Organization Geneva, Switzerland; UNICEF New York, USA.

Centre for Urban Studies (CUS), National Institute of Population Research and Training (NIPORT) and MEASURE Evaluation (2006) ‘Slums of Urban Bangladesh, Mapping and Census 2005’, Carolina Population Center of the University of North Carolina [online] http://www.cpc.unc.edu/measure/research/bang_slums [accessed 15 January 2008]. http://www.cpc.unc.edu/measure/research/bang_slums

Chowdhury, F.J. and Amin, A.T.M.N. (2006) ‘Environmental assessment in slum improvement programmes: Some evidence from a study on infrastructure projects in two Dhaka slums’, Environmental Impact Assessment Review 26: 530-52.

Hoque, B.A., Hoque, M.M., Ali, N., and Coghlan, S.E. (1994) ‘Sanitation in a poor settlement in Bangladesh: A challenge for the 1990s’, Environ Urban 6: 79-86.

OneWorld South Asia (2008) ‘Dhaka's slum population doubles in a decade’ [online] http://southasia.oneworld.net/article/view/133390/1/ [accessed 15 January 2008]. http://southasia.oneworld.net/article/view/133390/1/

Parkinson, J., Hasan, M. and Rashid, H. (2005) Decentralised Wastewater Management in Bangladesh, GHK Research Report, GHK International Ltd, London.

UNDESC (2003) ‘World Urbanization Prospects: The 2003 Revision’, Population Division [online] http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/wup2003/2003wup.htm [accessed 15 January 2008]. http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/wup2003/2003wup.htm

United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) (2007) ‘State of World Population 2007: Unleashing the potential of urban growth’ [online] http://www.unfpa.org/swp [accessed 15 January 2008]. http://www.unfpa.org/swp

WHO/UNICEF (2006) ‘Meeting the MDG drinking water and sanitation target: the urban and rural challenge of the decade’, Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation, World Health Organization Geneva, Switzerland; UNICEF New York, USA.