The Menstrual Festival

Menstruation is one issue that requires more and more awareness to be spread about it. Lately, a one day festival, called 'Menstrual Festival', with the theme 'Celebrate the Blood', was organized on the eve of Menstrual Hygiene Day (May 28th). The festival was conducted by Good Universe  which is a Society of social workers, professionals, health care specialists and young likeminded people.

It was conducted on Sunday at Sarath City Capital Mall. The Festival was organized so as to celebrate periods and in order to bring up a change in the society and its mindset regarding menstruation. During the festival, a seminar was conducted so as to bring together the various stakeholders that are a part of menstrual hygiene. They were indulged in a conversation on menstruation, women's reproductive health and hygiene. In the present world of advancement, there are still issues like lack of education and awareness on menstruation, lack of knowledge on menstrual health and hygiene and the treatment of this very basic phenomenon as a taboo. The society still avoids topics like hygiene and women’s sexual-reproductive health and resultantly we all suffer. This festival was organized in order to spread awareness and find out ways of breaking silence on this sensitive issue. Speaking on the occasion, Arun Kumar CEO, Elemantra Enterprises stated, menstrual waste disposal is one of the biggest challenges being faced by the society and it is becoming an insurmountable and burgeoning problem each day with more and more of it piling up. Especially in the cities it is becoming a menace and can surely take the shape of a grave issue in times to come. In the absence of proper disposal mechanism, flushing down the toilet is the most convenient solution that people use so as to dispose in the urban areas, but this causes the choking of the drains and ultimately pollution of the lake, thereby infecting all flora and fauna and other health hazards associated with them. The other easy option for disposal of the used sanitary pad is throwing it in the bin, but the sanitary workers or the animals digging into the waste can get infected because of that and the infection can spread further also. These days the pads are made up of diverse materials, such as biodegradable material which doesn't cause much harm to the environment. On the other hand, some are made up of gels and polymers which are not destructible and take 40 to 50 years to disintegrate. In such a scenario, one of the best ways to get rid of the menstrual waste is by burning it. It is important to destroy these scientifically in an incinerator, which is capable of controlled combustion and can have a burning temperature of 9000. At that high temperature, the bacteria and pathogens get destroyed and the ash from it is safe and sterile to handle.

By: Anuja Arora

Content:https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/menstrual-festival-an-eve-to-sensitise-the-society-and-celebrate-periods/articleshow/69523350.cms