Water, sanitation arrangements and awareness activities in schools from March 16

Bhopal: Various activities under National Rural Drinking Water, Sanitation and Awareness Week will be held in schools in the state from March 16. The state government has directed all district collectors to ensure conduct of activities during the week.

During the Week, water resources will be tested to check their purity. After inspection, its report will be presented to concerning head master. The action will be ensured with the cooperation of Public Health Engineering Department. Side by side ensuring purity of water, arrangements will be made to keep it under reach of students and maintain arrangements properly. During the Week, school’s child cabinet will undertake monitoring of personal hygiene, washing of hands with soap before mid-day meal and cleaning around drinking water sources in the presence of teachers. Students will also write message of hygiene on toilets.

Separate directives have been issued for activities for Swachchhata Dastak Abhiyan under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. Under it, sanitation rallies will be taken out of middle school students. Special attention will be paid that not more than 45 minutes of students time is consumed on rally. During Abhiyan, stress will be laid on construction of toilets in houses to get rid of curse of open-area defecation, promote use and improvement of toilets, pasting of stickers on houses by students, and assessment of community sanitation and presenting its report by students to head master and Gram Panchayat Sachiv.

Students will be apprised about sizes and colours of sticker on March 16. At the end of the campaign, students will be asked as to sticker of which colour is pasted on their houses. Students will be told about discussions to be held with their family members about construction, improvement and use of toilets in houses. Stickers of sanitation will be obtained from Gram Panchayat. Apart from these activities, the government has also directed collectors to extend necessary cooperation in activities of PHE and Health Departments and Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. It has also been directed to prepare reports about all activities and send the same to Rajya Shiksha Kendra.