Telangana to set up incinerators in girls’ hostels to burn refuse

Hyderabad: The Telangana government will install incinerators in girls’ hostels across the state for students to burn their sanitary napkins.

Girl students studying in government run hostels are provided with sanitary napkins by the state. But officials have said that they have observed that the sewage lines connected to most hostels get blocked due to sanitary napkins disposed in them.

Girl students will be instructed to burn their napkins rather than disposing them.

Other state governments too provide free sanitary napkins, but to students in government schools. Research has shown that the drop out rate among girls reduces with universal supply of sanitary pads.

“Adolescent girls in hostels are being given sanitary napkins but they don’t know the etiquette of disposal and after-use procedures. When drainage lines in the vicinity of the girls’ hostels were inspected, they found a lot of sanitary pads,” a senior TS SSA official said, adding, “Many times the drains would get choked but there was nobody to tell the girls about that and how they should dispose them. So to solve the issue, we will install incinerators in all girls’ hostels. They can just burn the used napkins. It will reduce garbage."

Deputy Chief Minister Kadiam Srihari meanwhile had said on Monday that CCTV cameras would be installed at all girls hostels at a cost of Rs 50 crore.