Market potential, opportunities and challenges for automated septic tank cleaning in Gujarat
Manual scavenging is one of the most undignified and inhuman activity. It leads to serious health issues and hundreds of manual scavengers asphyxiate and lose their lives while cleaning under sewers and septic tanks which means hundreds of families suffer the loss and pain. Manual scavenging is banned legally, yet unfortunately it is still used as we have not developed alternative and dignified manner to handle this essential function. Now startups are developing robotic cleaning solutions to clean septic tanks and sewers. These have potential to offer healthy, safe, and dignified work opportunity, along with opportunity for entrepreneurship to the sanitation workers.
In this proposed study, following activities will be undertaken:
i) Septic tank use and their cleaning practices in Gujarat (name of city/cities say e.g. small and medium town of north Gujarat/south Gujarat - preferably small city where WIN has worked and has onsite sanitation prevent).
ii) Conduct a detailed study at 3-5 locations within city or 4-5 cities and one location each??to understand the issue in depth, with aspects of caste, health - physical and mental, livelihood and impact on families of sanitation workers.
iii) Potential for the usage of robotic septic tank cleaning systems and potential micro-entrepreneurship: market size, pricing, government schemes available, required training for sanitation workers - technical and entrepreneurship related, etc.(all the aspects written in this point will eventually lead to business model)
