SANITATION
Sikkim is the first and only Nirmal Rajya in the country, to have achieved 100% sanitation in 2008. After achieving this unique milestone, the focus is on sustainability, managing slip back, improving school hygiene, solid and liquid waste management and strengthening IEC
The Total Sanitation Campaign in Sikkim is being implemented through the Sanitation wing of the Rural Management and Development Department, Government of Sikkim under the aegis of the Department of Drinking Water Supply, Ministry of Rural Development, and Government of India. It is evident that after the implementation of TSC, the mindset of the people on general awareness about sanitation has dramatically changed over the years and they have realized the value of health and hygiene, environmental sanitation and its co-relation to socio-economic value. People across the villages have shown keen interest in the usage of constructed latrines, personal hygiene, domestic and village cleanliness.
For successfully implementing the programme and achieving 100% physical coverage in rural sanitation, Sikkim was awarded the Nirmal Rajya Award on 8th December 2008. Post Nirmal Rajya, the prime endeavor has been to focus on sustainability and qualitative improvement with special focus on School Sanitation and Solid Liquid Waste Management. Under the School Sanitation & Hygiene Education of TSC, special sanitation needs of women and young girls are being addressed by making a gender sensitive school sanitation programme. The demand driven Total Sanitation Campaign gives a special focus to address the sanitation needs of adolescent schoolgirls, by means of introducing sanitary napkin dispensers and disposers at schools. The department, through the TSC, has launched such a programme on Pilot basis, covering two schools per district, totaling eight schools in all. In these schools, every adolescent girl child can readily get a sanitary napkin in her hand by inserting a `2 coin into the vending machine. Simultaneously, the used napkins can be incinerated in the disposer installed in the toilets of these schools. More schools are targeted to be covered with such facilities in the next phase. Furthermore, handbooks on Solid and Liquid Waste Management and Personal Adolescent Girls' Hygiene Management have been introduced in schools.
You would also like to see: