Sanitation and personal hygiene campaign

The ICAR-Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering, Regional Station, Coimbatore conducted a campaign on ‘sanitation and personal hygiene’ at Pethikuttai village of Karamadai block on Wednesday. Thirty women beneficiaries of the Scheduled Caste Sub Plan (SCSP)  participated in the programme. 

Dr. R Senthil Kumar, Senior Scientist, emphasised the immediate need for individuals to change their existing perceptions about the importance of sanitation and hygiene practices and warned them against the practices of open defecation, handling child faeces, ignoring handwashing with soap or storing and handling drinking water inappropriately.

He also explained a range of hygiene and biosecurity practices to reduce the risk of pests or diseases impacting agricultural farms and stressed the importance of decontamination of vehicles, clothing, equipment and machinery as well as restricting movement of people and farm equipment/machinery as important biosecurity measures. The hygiene and sanitation campaign entailed the development and distribution of printed information, education and communication materials to the SCSP beneficiaries. 

Demonstration of hand washing, household water treatment and safe storage was done by partnering with Agriculture Department officers. Members of the public were involved in the demonstration.