IIT Madras organises cleanliness drive under ‘Swachhta Hi Seva’ campaign at Elliot's Beach

NEW DELHI: The Indian Institute of Technology Madras organised a cleanliness drive ‘Ek Tareekh Ek Ghanta’ on October 1, 2023. The drive was conducted as a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on the eve of his birth anniversary on October 2, 2023. The sanitation drive was conducted from 10 am to 11 am in Elliot's Beach in Besant Nagar.

Around 150 Students, faculty and staff took part in this initiative, as part of the ‘Swachhta Hi Seva’ Campaign. Officials from Chennai Corporation facilitated the cleanliness drive and administered the Swachhata pledge to the IIT Madras participants.

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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.”

A Solid Waste Incinerator facility with a daily processing capacity of two tonnes has been recently installed in IIT Madaras as a part of the Swachhata Hi Seva initiative.

This facility can process more than two tonnes of mixed waste every day that would otherwise be sent to a landfill. This facility serves as a testament to the Institute's dedication to achieving a sustainable "Zero Waste Discharge."

It has 40 per cent moisture limit for handling mixed wastes. This will be used to burn off food and packaging waste, food that hasn't been completely consumed, cups, cardboard and large packaging boards, and used mattresses and foam. The Institute avoids emitting about two tonnes of CO2-eq GHGs by incinerating the mixed wastes.

The Swachhata Hi Seva campaign is being observed across India from September 15 to October 2 this year. The initiative is jointly under the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS) and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India.

The initiative aims 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.