Dakshina Kannada gram panchayats get incinerators for safe disposal of sanitary napkins

In a bid to find a solution to challenges posed regarding the safe disposal of sanitary napkins in rural areas, the rural drinking water and sanitation department, under the Swachh Bharat Mission, has taken up an initiative to install incinerators in all Gram Panchayats.

Zilla Panchayat CEO Dr Kumar said that the installation of incinerators in all the 223 Gram Panchayats had been taken up. Training has also been imparted on the use of incinerators for safe disposal of the sanitary napkins, he added.

A committee with members of self-help groups, GP members, health officials, Anganwadi and Asha workers will be constituted to monitor the safe disposal, he said.

Awareness will be created among women about the incinerator. The waste collectors have been asked to collect the napkins separately. The residents have been asked to cover it in paper and mark X on it before handing it over to the waste collectors, sources in the ZP said.

The incinerator runs on electricity. On an average 200 to 300 napkins can be burnt in a day. There is a separate tray to collect ash and the incinerator has a LED display as well. The incinerators comply with the guidelines of Pollution Control Board and Solid Waste Management rules 2016. A sum of Rs 45.60 lakh has been released for the purchase of incinerators, Kumar said.

On the other hand, Kilpady Gram Panchayat in Dakshina Kannada has shown the way in managing menstrual waste.

The Gram Panchayat has launched ‘Rutu’, a campaign dedicated to menstrual health and hygiene under Swachh Bharat. As a part of the campaign, they have distributed pink boxes to schools, anganwadi and panchayat building so that women can dispose of sanitary pads in these boxes after wrapping them in a paper. The napkins are collected and later incinerated. The staff will collect it from these centres daily and will dispose it off.

According to Gram Panchayat authorities, people are encouraged to take up pipe composting for wet waste, while for dry waste door to door collection has been taken up.

The panchayat has already installed incinerator that disposes the napkins by burning them. The incinerator can burn about 60 pads at a time in 20 minutes. The burnt ash will be flushed in the toilet, sources said.