Kolhapur ZP schools to have integrated health complexes with modern toilets

Kolhapur: The Kolhapur zilla parishad has started an initiative to develop integrated health complexes in ZP schools, with modern, clean and hygienic toilets.The erstwhile decaying toilet infrastructure, with broken pipes, overflowing drains, leaking roofs, filthy interiors, and a foul odour persisting overall, revealed the utter failure of the system. The situation is changing now.S Karthikeyan, Kolhapur ZP's chief executive officer, said, "We found that bad toilets cause health concerns among the children in the schools. While school infrastructure is important, it is equally crucial to have modern toilets that meet hygiene standards as well as aesthetic expectations. Therefore, we have decided to set up an ‘integrated school health complex' in each school, to begin with the schools with high student enrolment."The health complex will feature toilets comparable to those of any starred hotel. There will be modern lavatories, western seating, basins, air ventilation by exhaust fans, towels, handwash, sensor-based watering, fresheners to prevent bad odour, and sanitary pad vending and disposal machines in girls' toilets."We are ensuring the material we use is of the best quality and does not wear and tear frequently. We did not compromise on the quality of the material," said the CEO.Meena Shendkar, education officer, said, "We are going to develop such health complexes in 100 schools in the next couple of months. The upkeep and maintenance will be carried out through the school committee and the local gram panchayat."