CHENNAI : Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) organized a cleanliness drive ‘Ek Tareekh Ek Ghanta’ at Elliot’s Beach in Besant Nagar from 10 am to 11 am today (1st October 2023).
The drive was conducted as a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on the eve of his birth anniversary on 2nd October 2023. Around 150 Students, faculty and staff took part in this initiative, undertaken as part of the ‘Swachhta Hi Seva’ Campaign. Officials from Chennai Corporation facilitated the drive and administered the Swachhata pledge to the IIT Madras participants.
The Swachhata Hi Seva campaign is being observed across India from 15th September to 2nd October this year under the joint aegis of the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS) and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India.
The objective is to undertake voluntary activities aiming to generate Jan Andolan through community participation and to provide an impetus for the implementation of Swachh Bharat Mission.
The Theme of Swachhata Hi Seva-2023 campaign is ‘Garbage Free India’ with a focus on the visual cleanliness and welfare of SafaiMitras. Like earlier years, the spirit of cleanliness activities is voluntarism.
Lauding the students on taking this up, Prof. R. Sarathi, Dean (Planning), IIT Madras, said, “The Swachhata Hi Seva initiative on the theme of ‘Garbage Free India’ is a collective social responsibility. IIT Madras is proud to be part of this. The student’s involvement in this noble task is the best way to ensure successful implementation of the goal of ‘Garbage Free India’. Let us chant the slogan ‘Let’s go Green’ to make Mother Earth very clean.”
Solid Waste Incinerator
A Solid Waste Incinerator facility with the capacity to process two tons per day was recently established at IIT Madras campus as part of the Swachhata Hi Seva campaign.
This facility has a capacity to treat more than two tons of mixed waste per day, that otherwise goes out for landfilling. This facility demonstrates the Institute’s commitment towards achieving a sustainable ‘Zero Waste Discharge’.
This facility can handle unsegregated wastes upto 40% moisture content. This will be used to combust food/packaging wastes, partially consumed food wastes, cups, cardboard and big packaging boards, and used beds/foams. By incinerating the mixed wastes, the Institute reduces around two tons of CO2-eq GHG emissions.
