Women from Ainipada-Pachapada undertake a clean-up drive in their area. Telegraph picture

Kendrapara, Nov. 7: A group of women, apparently fed up with the terrible sanitation situation in the locality, took it upon themselves to clean the village streets.

The weeklong endeavour by the homemaker volunteers of Ainipada-Pachapada village has proved fruitful. Now, the village streets wear a neat and clean look.

“The drive to maintain hygiene and cleanliness was launched under Amma gaon, ama parimal (our village, our sanitation) programme. It was entirely the efforts of the women self-help groups. No government help was sought for the drive,” said Chabilata Nath, president of the Maa Bajrakali self-help group.

Ainipada-Pachapada is a 1.5sqkm village home to around 1,500 residents.

“The village environment was not suitable for healthy living. There was dirt and filth everywhere. The pondswere filled with water plants. The drains were choked and the roads, dirty. The panchayat body never looked after the cleanliness of the village. That’s why, we decided to take up the work,” said Chabilata, a homemaker.

All 16 self help groups of the village sat together and resolved to undertake the mission on October 31. Over 200 women voluntarily came forward to make the village clean, she said.

“All the lanes that connected the village were full of dirt. The drains were clogged with wild bushes and shrubs. The stagnant water in these drains had become a congenial breeding ground for mosquitoes,” said secretary of Maa Sarala womens’ self-help group Janaki Mallick.

Though the village is located 3km from the Pattamundai block headquarters, the sanitation work was conspicuous by its absence.

“The outbreak of the mosquito-borne dengue spurred us to action. Women sat together and made up their mind to ensure a healthy and disease-free environment,” said Mallick.

“We mobilised the homemakers to clean the dirt and filth to make our village hospitable and healthy,” she said.

“The village women have set an example for others to follow. It’s a good instance of community empowerment,” said Sachikanta Nath, a local resident.