Insights From Solinas
By Parthasarathy,Â
Operations Manager, Team Solinas
Sewer pipelines are becoming older, deeper, more congested, and more difficult to maintain. At the same time, cities are under pressure to reduce sewer overflows, protect sanitation workers, improve public health, and manage underground assets more efficiently. This is why traditional sewer cleaning methods are no longer enough on their own.
The future of sewer and manhole cleaning must be safer, more mechanised, more preventive, and more data-driven. At Solinas Integrity, this belief drives our work in robotic sewer inspection, manhole cleaning robots, AI-based defect detection, and digital infrastructure intelligence.
What are traditional sewer cleaning methods?
Traditional sewer cleaning usually includes a few common methods.
1. Manual Scavenging
Manual Scavenging involves workers physically removing waste, sludge, silt, and blockages from manholes, sewer lines, or confined spaces. In the most unsafe form, this can lead to manual scavenging, where workers are exposed directly to hazardous sewage environments.
Inside sewer pipelines and manholes, workers may face toxic gases, low oxygen levels, infections, sharp waste, sudden flow changes, and confined-space risks. Even a short exposure in an unsafe manhole can become life-threatening.Â
2. Rodding and basic tools
Rodding involves using rods or basic tools to break or push blockages inside sewer pipelines. While this may solve small blockages temporarily, it does not show the actual condition of the pipe.Â
A blockage may not be just a blockage. It could be the result of silt accumulation, root intrusion, pipe deformation, joint displacement, cracks, corrosion, or a partially collapsed section.Â
3. Desilting and bucket cleaning
Desilting is used to remove accumulated silt, sludge, and solid waste from manholes and sewer lines. In many cities, this is still done after an overflow, complaint, or visible blockage.
When desilting is done without pipeline condition assessment, the city may clear the manhole but still miss the larger problem inside the connected sewer line.
4. High-pressure jetting
High-pressure jetting uses water force to clean sewer pipelines. It is useful in many cases, but when used without prior sewer inspection, it can miss serious issues such as cracks, collapsed sections, root intrusion, or recurring blockage points.
Why are traditional sewer cleaning methods no longer sustainable?
1. They put sanitation workers at risk
The biggest issue with traditional sewer cleaning is worker safety. Manual sludge removal and unsafe manhole cleaning expose sanitation workers to toxic gases, infections, drowning risk, injuries, and long-term health hazards.
No worker should have to enter a hazardous manhole when safer alternatives such as a manhole cleaning robot, sewer cleaning robot, or mechanised cleaning system are available.
2. They are mostly reactive
Traditional sewer cleaning is often complaint-driven. A problem is noticed only after a blockage, overflow, foul smell, flooding, or public disruption.
This means cities spend more time responding to failures instead of preventing them.
3. They do not generate useful data
One of the biggest limitations of traditional sewer cleaning is the lack of digital records.
After a sewer line is cleaned, city teams may still not have clear information on:
Exact blockage location
Type of defect
Pipe condition
Severity of damage
Recurring risk areas
Cleaning history
Asset health score
Priority for repair or rehabilitation
Without data, it becomes difficult to plan budgets, schedule maintenance, or make long-term decisions for sewer asset management.
4. They increase repeated maintenance costs
A sewer pipeline may be cleaned again and again, but if the root cause is not identified, the problem will return.
For example, a line may keep blocking because of a damaged joint, root intrusion, settled silt, or pipe deformation. If the city only clears the blockage without inspecting the pipeline, the same location may need repeated cleaning.
5. Traditional sewer cleaning can damage the environment
Sewer overflows can contaminate roads, stormwater drains, lakes, rivers, and groundwater. Poorly maintained sewer pipelines can also create public health risks and affect the surrounding environment.
6. They are not suitable for modern cities
Today, cities are moving towards smart infrastructure, Sewer Cleaning Robots, GIS mapping, digital twins, AI-based monitoring, and preventive maintenance.
Traditional sewer cleaning methods alone cannot support this transition.Â
Alternative to Traditional Sewer Cleaning
The good news is that cities now have better alternatives. Sewer and manhole cleaning can be made safer, faster, and more intelligent through robotics.
Manhole cleaning robots
A manhole cleaning robot is designed to reduce the need for manual entry into manholes. It can support sludge removal, cleaning, and maintenance activities while keeping sanitation workers outside dangerous confined spaces.
Solinas’ HomoSEP is a manhole cleaning robot developed to support safer manhole cleaning and reduce human exposure to hazardous sewer environments. For users searching for HomoSEP sewer solutions, HomoSEP represents a practical step towards mechanised manhole cleaning and safer sanitation work.
Comparison of sewer and manhole cleaning methods
The following comparison supports method selection. The equipment configuration and cleaning plan should be confirmed through a site assessment.
Method | Suitable application | Limitations | When another approach is needed |
Mechanical rodding | Loosening obstructions in suitable sewer pipes using rods and attachments. | Does not assess pipe condition or repair defects. Suitability depends on pipe geometry and equipment. | Use inspection to investigate repeat blockages or suspected damage. |
High-pressure jetting | Dislodging grease, deposits and debris from suitable sewer pipes. | Â Debris removal still needs planning. | Add extraction or inspection where deposits remain or the blockage returns. |
Vacuum suction | Extracting liquid and pumpable sludge from accessible manholes and septic tanks. | Hardened deposits and non-pumpable solids may need separate treatment. | Consider sludge homogenisation or mechanical grabbing when suction alone is insufficient. |
Mechanical desilting or grabbing | Lifting silt, debris and non-mixable solids from suitable locations. | Reach and removal effectiveness depend on access, tools and site geometry. | Use complementary sludge treatment or suction where mixed deposits remain. |
Robotic manhole cleaning | Breaking down compacted sludge and removing solids in compatible manholes and septic tanks. | Requires site suitability, trained operators and an appropriate waste-removal arrangement. | Add suction or jetting as required. Investigate connected pipes separately if problems persist. |
Sewer Cleaning with Homosep Sewer – Noida
As of September 2026, Solinas’s Noida project had cleaned 1,015 manholes without human entry. The initiative brought together Noida Authority, HCL Foundation and Solinas to deploy HomoSEP Sewer and support sanitation-worker training.
Field teams encountered hardened sludge, solid waste and variations in manhole condition. Homogenisation helped prepare compacted material for extraction, while the grabber supported the removal of debris that suction alone could struggle to handle.
In feedback from the Noida project, Parthasarathy S, Operations Lead at Solinas, described one heavily filled manhole that needed repeated bucket cycles over several hours. His emphasis was on thorough removal of accumulated waste. The example shows why cleaning time and equipment selection should reflect actual site conditions.
Future of Underground Infrastructure:
The future must move towards:
- Elimination of unsafe manual scavenging
- Reduced dependency on manual cleaning
- Sewer cleaning robots
- Robotic sewer inspection
- AI-based defect detection
- GIS-based sewer asset mapping
- Preventive sewer maintenance
- Data-driven sanitation infrastructure management
This is the shift from reactive sewer cleaning to intelligent sewer infrastructure management.
At Solinas Integrity, we are working to make underground infrastructure safer, cleaner, and more sustainable through robotics, AI, and field-ready technologies.
To learn more about Solinas’ work in robotic pipeline inspection, AI-based infrastructure digitization and mechanised sanitation solutions, visit Solinas Integrity.
FAQ
How can robotic sewer cleaning improve municipal sanitation services?
Robotic sewer cleaning enables municipalities to clean sewer networks more efficiently, reduce sewer overflows, improve response times, and ensure safer maintenance operations across the city.
Can robotic sewer cleaning be integrated into existing municipal maintenance operations?
Yes. Robotic cleaning systems can complement existing jetting, suction, and sewer maintenance equipment, allowing municipalities to enhance their current operations without major infrastructure changes.
Is robotic sewer cleaning suitable for Smart City projects?
Absolutely. Robotic sewer cleaning aligns with Smart City initiatives by introducing technology-driven asset management, worker safety improvements, and data-based decision-making for urban infrastructure maintenance.
How does robotic sewer cleaning support worker safety regulations?
Robotic systems eliminate the need for workers to enter hazardous manholes and septic tanks, helping municipalities comply with safety guidelines and reduce occupational risks.
Can robotic systems clean both sewer lines and stormwater drains?
Yes. Depending on the deployment requirements, robotic cleaning solutions can be used for sewer networks, manholes, stormwater drains, and other underground utility assets.
What types of waste can robotic cleaning systems remove?
Robotic cleaning systems can remove:
- Sludge
- Silt
- Plastic waste
- Stones
- Sediment accumulation
- Construction debris
- Organic waste