Port Blair, July 15: The Directorate of RD, PRIs & ULBs, Andaman & Nicobar Administration conducted awareness session on harmful effects of Single Use Plastics and Menstrual Hygiene and Management on 15th July 2022 at Govt. Senior Secondary School, Port Mout.
The session was conducted in the presence of BDO (Ferrargunj & Prothrapur), Pradhan, Panchayat Secretary, Principal and the RD staffs. The BDO said that as the children are the future so creating awareness in them will help to create a better and clean society for the upcoming future generation. He emphasized that we all have to strive together to bring behavioral change, which is as necessary as it is said that prevention is better than cure.
The Pradhan also said that creating awareness among the students on such topics is necessary as it will inculcate a good behavior in them and the parents also will learn seeing their activity. She also mentioned that we should try as much as possible to use the alternatives and try to stop the use of plastics to make our village and our islands plastic free. She has also taken initiative of distributing cloth bags in her village every Sunday to create awareness and requested the general public to use it for shopping.
The students were made aware that, littering of plastics in open spaces creates unhygienic conditions, as it acts as a breeding ground for insects and mosquitoes that cause diseases like malaria and dengue. Plastics do not undergo degradation, thus, stay in the soil for many years, which affects soil fertility and degrades the soil quality. When plastic artefacts enter the drainage and sewerage system, they block the pipes and the drains causing waterlogging. The improperly disposed of food bags, when eaten by animals, cause stomach and intestine related diseases which even lead to suffocation and death. Plastic items find their way to the water bodies, which are then swallowed by fish, seabirds, and other marine species, thus leading to suffocation and death. The waste from the plastic manufacturing industry is thrown directly into the water bodies, thus affecting the chemical property of water, causing hazards on a very large scale. It was urged to the gathering that by proper disposal of the plastics these problems can be reduced.
The students were also sensitized that good Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) plays a fundamental role in enabling women and girls to reach their full potential. Menstrual Health and Hygiene (MHH) is essential to the well-being and empowerment of women and adolescent girls. Menstruation in our country is associated with various myths and restrictions leading to lack of awareness among adolescent girls. Insufficient menstrual hygiene practices are the cause of stress associated with menstruation and reproductive tract infections. Sexually transmitted infections and HIV/AIDS are not openly discussed in our society making adolescents vulnerable to them. Thus such type of awareness sessions will be organized to make them aware on the menstrual hygiene and proper disposal of the sanitary napkins.
The Principal has appreciated and also requested to the RD Department to organize such programs in schools to create awareness among the students by which we can bring change in the practice of using the plastics and try to use the alternatives for the betterment of our Island.