Initiative in Gujarat for disposal of sanitary pads

Ahmedabad: As the country marked World Menstruation Hygiene Day on Tuesday, nearly 350 schools of Sabarkantha district in Gujarat will get a unique incinerator. In a first-of-its-kind project in the state, the district health authority has designed and developed an incinerator which will solve the problem of proper disposal of used sanitary pads.

The project was inaugurated by the district collector on Tuesday.

“To dispose of used sanitary pads is the biggest issue today. We were in constant search for proper solution. Finally with the help of local craftsmen, we have been able to develop an incinerator made from cement which is very low cost and eco friendly too,” said Manish Fensy, district health officer of Sabarkantha.

District health officers, with the help of a Unicef team, have been working on an affordable incinerator for some time. They contacted local craftsmen to replicate the more expensive models with some modifications.

An expert from the IIT-M was also consulted initially. They finally succeeded in developing the incinerator made of cement and designed to generate less smoke making it eco friendly too.

The health authority has ordered 500 incinerators; 150 are ready and will be distributed to 350 secondary and higher secondary schools of the district as a pilot project as soon as schools reopen after the vacation next month.

Five nursing colleges will also be given an incinerator free. A free electric vending machine for the pads will also be given to schools that have at least 300 girl students.

“The regular incinerator would have cost us `2600, but this model costs `300. Schools will take ownership of it and will see that used pads are burnt regularly,”’ Dr Fensy said.