The District Panchayat here has launched a week-long pre-monsoon sanitation drive with active people’s participation across the district on Thursday.
Inaugurating the programme at a function held at the District Hospital at Kozhencherry on Thursday, Mr Babu George, District Panchayat president, has called upon the sanitation programme a continuous process so as to maintain a clean and healthy surroundings and environment.
Mr George said the panchayat was observing May 17 as Sanitation Day and every member of the society should participate in the week-long programme to destroy the the breeding sources of mosquitoes, and other flies that spread various epidemics, especially during the rainy season.
According to him, disposal of the waste at its very source itself was an important part in the ongoing sanitation drive. Every household should opt for setting up their own easy and scientific waste disposal system and the Sanitation Mission as well as local self-government institutions have been providing subsidy upto Rs 5000 for the same, he added.
Mr George said workers attached to non-governmental organizations, members of various Kudumbasree self-help units, school-college children NCC cadets, NREGP workers, National Service Scheme volunteers and various residents’ associations would be taking part in the ongoing sanitation drive across the district.
He said the District Panchayat mission was to prepare a healthy environment in the district to keep various vector-borne diseases at bay before the onset of monsoon.
Delivering the keynote address, Mr P.Venugopal, District Collector, has called for wholehearted co-operation of all the people for the success of the sanitation drive.
He said there was point in keeping a blind eye towards the growing pollution menace owing to grossly inadequate waste disposal mechanism.
A united and concerted effort by the society as a whole was the grave need of the hour to effectively address the problem, he added.
Ms Stella Thomas, Elanthoor Block Panchayat president; Kurien Madackal, Kozhencherry grama panchayat president; Dr Laila Divakar, Distict Medical Officer; Dr L. Anitakumari, hospital superintendent; P.A. Mohamed Salim, and P.N. Madhusoodhanan, sanitation Mission co-ordinators, also spoke.
