Dhaka is one of the world’s megacities, with a population of around 16 million.
The clear majority of residents (80%) are dependent on on-site sanitation systems, yet until recently, no private operator existed to provide mechanical emptying services to this vast and largely untapped market.
In 2015, a Public Private Partnership was established between Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority and a local small and medium sized enterprise aiming to bridge the service gap through a new faecal sludge emptying service – SWEEP.
SWEEP has now been operational for nearly two years, establishing itself as a viable business and becoming profitable five months after its launch.
This Topic Brief looks at the SWEEP initiative, the lessons learned, and how the business can now be scaled up across Dhaka and Bangladesh.
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