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aspiration of implementing ‘Smart Water Management’
                               in rural India. More than 20 villages across diverse     Menstrual Hygiene Management and WaSH
                               remote geographical regions were selected and            Programme in Schools in Khed Taluka,
                               sensor-based systems were deployed to provide            Pune District, Maharashtra – Phases 1 to 3
                               information about the quantity of water supplied to      Over three phases of implementation, the aim of the
                               each household, data on quality parameters, such as      Menstrual Hygiene Management and WaSH in Schools
                               residual chlorine, groundwater table, the pressure of    programme is to provide water, sanitation, and hygiene
                               water supply at tail-end households, etc., on a real-time   facilities to over 10,000 children across 50 schools,
                               basis. The information has been put up in the public     whilst covering over 10,000 women and adolescent
                               domain to promote transparency and accountability        girls  through  Menstrual  Hygiene   Management
                               and, more importantly, ensure that users are provided    practices.
                               the necessary information to resolve the ground
                               challenges posed to safe and assured drinking water on   Impact On Women’s Health:
                               an equitable basis for all households.                   •  Changes in dietary and hygienic practices during
                                                                                          periods.
                             •  Enhancing work on springsheds as part of the Water      •  The importance of exercise during periods.
                               Security programme in the Himalayan region.              •  Taking reproductive issues seriously.

                                                                                        •  Improvement in physical and mental health.
                             •  Launching the second phase of the Menstrual Hygiene     •  Emphasis on safe disposal of sanitary napkins,
                               Management (MHM) programme across seven states.            leading to a positive impact on the environment.
                               The objective of the programme is to address: (a) social
                               taboos at the societal level; and (b) health aspects     An independent impact assessment undertaken post -
                               linked to unhygienic menstruation practices prevailing   interventions, revealed:
                               due to lack of awareness and resources at the
                               community  level. With  a view to influencing  policies   35% increase in  the  use of  reusable  / hygienic
                               around menstrual health subjects, the Trusts have        absorbents by women beneficiaries.
                               started engaging with education, women and child
                               development,   health   and    rural  development        70% of adolescents surveyed  spoke openly to their
                               departments and provided them tools and resources to     family members about menstrual issues.
                               mainstream the  MHM programme  through existing
                               infrastructure and resources of the government           93%    of   women    and    adolescents  adopted
                               eco-system. By engaging with these institutions, the     recommended     menstrual  hygiene   management
                               Trusts have covered more than 1,000 villages across 19   practices.
                               districts in 7 states.

















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