To comabt menstrual hygiene taboo, AAP to install sanitary napkin incinerators at 553 Delhi schools

The system can also be used to generate electricity or help reduce plastic, said a government official.
Moves like this is more than just about providing a facility that it lacked on the premises. (Representational Image)
Moves like this is more than just about providing a facility that it lacked on the premises. (Representational Image)

NEW DELHI: The AAP government is going to install sanitary napkin incinerators (SNI) in 3,204 toilet blocks of 553 girls and co-ed schools under the Directorate of Education (DoE) and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to combat the taboo on menstrual hygiene. An incinerator is a small machine which burns used sanitary napkins into ashes.

The system can also be used to generate electricity or help reduce plastic, said a government official.
According to the official, tenders have been floated and finalised for the installation of SNI in the schools.
The head of schools (HoS) will monitor the installation work.

Besides, all teachers and students will be trained to use the machine. “The HOS will nominate one science lab assistant and a science teacher (female) as in charge of the SNI,” said an official. Further, the in-charge shall also prepare a classwise schedule and escort the girl students to the toilet blocks to demonstrate them the proper way of using the incinerator. The training will be given to students from Class V to XII in turns. The training will be repeated until the students become proficient in using the SNI, said the official.

“It’s a nice initiative as it will keep clean the toilets. Currently, girls throw pads here and there in washrooms which is very unhygienic,” said a Class XI student of a Delhi government. India generates up to 1 billion non-compostable sanitary napkins waste every month but the topic of menstruation is still brushed under the carpet let alone acknowledged as an issue that needs discussion and awareness.

Moves like this is more than just about providing a facility that it lacked on the premises. It is about acknowledging a problem that is being ignored – be it lack of menstrual hygiene or the improper disposal of sanitary waste that is causing havoc in the environment, and providing a solution, the official said.

Can help change ragpicker’s life

Proper disposal of sanitary waste can also change a ragpicker’s life. In most parts of India, a ragpicker hand-segregates waste on a daily basis, thereby exposing themselves to numerous health issues like headache, loose motions and fever

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