When it comes to ‘Swachcchta’ (cleanliness), the ‘word’ is not just confined to sanitation in and around or curtailing the menace of open defecation but it is also linked up with the health, hygiene of pubescent predominately.
In a bid to promote hygiene among adolescents as a primary component along with ensuring environmental safety, a sanitary napkins disposable machine or incinerator will be installed at Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV), Satbarwa to mark the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
Notably, it is one of the remotest blocks under Palamau District. This is the first KGBV, where such environmental friendly approach has been adopted. Palamau DC, Amit Kumar said that this is the first of its kind attempt at any KGVB across Jharkhand that registers quite a number of girls’ studying at these residential schools. At present, around 400 girls falling in the age group 12-16 years hailing from humble background study at KGVB, Satbarwa.
“On October 2, we will install incinerator at KGBV, Satbarwa. later on the initiative will be covered at rest of the KGBVs functioning across the Palamau district. Within a week, all 12 KGVBs here will get the machines. The initiative has been taken under the aegis of Information, Education and Communication (IEC) fund dispersed especially to improve the sanitation status while following the parameters of Swacch Bharat Mission-Gramin,” said, Kumar.
As the sanitary napkins are mostly disposed in open and are non biodegradable, it has several hazardous impacts on environment. The initiative has been taken to endorse safe disposal of used sanitary napkins and to encourage adolescents to adopt healthy practice.
Notably, the electric incinerators provide an environment friendly alternative for disposal as they convert each used sanitary napkin into one milligram of sterilised ash. The conversion takes less around five minutes for each napkin and the vessel can hold up to 50-70 napkins at a time. The machine uses half a unit of power an hour.