Monsoons not only tend to damage structures but also pose multi-health hazards like contamination and spread of infection. Smart organisations resort to preventive maintenance to secure the property and surrounding areas, rather than resorting to disaster management at the time of crisis. Vijayalakshmi Sridhar takes stock of the pre-monsoon preparations at education institutions and malls
Monsoons have always been a period subjected to contamination and infection. In many cases, organisations learning from the previous experiences, gear up well in advance with appropriate trouble shooting and back up plans.
Before the rainy season starts, the prepping starts with the terraces and stormwater drains being cleaned thoroughly so that there are no leakages, seepages and blockages. The next step is to keep the environment dirt-free so that there are no molds and fungi when the rains start lashing out.
Says Pallavi Chaudhari, Assistant professor, Accommodation- Operations, D.Y. Patil School of Hospitality and Tourism Studies, Mumbai, “Being a hotel management institute, scheduled cleaning of the kitchens, front office and other areas, are done every day. Daily cleaning involves sweeping and mopping while deep cleaning and scrubbing are taken up on weekly or fortnightly basis. Moreover, the ventilation and temperatures being controlled in the kitchen and proper ducting system the indoor air quality is always good and monitored. Further, there is no accumulation of dirt at any given time. Hence when the monsoon season starts, our focus is totally on handling the challenges that come with it.”
When it comes to malls, there are processes in place to be followed as part of the pre-monsoon preparation. Sudhir Chalamcherry, DGM, Mall Operations, Metro Junction Mall, Kalyan, says, “The prepping starts with cleaning and servicing the storm waters drains. Testing the drain line chambers using jet pumps; cleaning and servicing the drain line chambers in the regular drainage and checking for blocks with pond testing are some of the activities. Besides, all the walls, terrace floors and ceilings are checked for water proofing.”
“Every floor has a water filter counter and is under an AMC. The technicians frequently check the pH level of the water. From the teaching faculty to the staff to the kids, everyone drinks the same water.”
– Pallavi Chaudhari
How SWM helps
Meticulous waste management regimen helps any establishment to face the rains without much hiccups. An active segregation exercise, with the wet and the dry waste disposal goes a long way in keeping the place clutter free.
At D.Y. Patil, the wet waste is processed in the in-house compost pit and the manure is utilized for gardens. The dry waste goes to the central collection unit and gets picked up. Plastic usage in the campus is also limited and so during rainy season there are no clogging issues. D.Y. Patil engages the students in the Institute’s advocacy mission.
“As part of the curriculum the children are taught about waste management, personal hygiene and proper disposal In fact, our school children go out to other schools for conducting workshops on garbage segregation. Though they are not involved in cleaning the premises, they get a thorough information of it as part of the housekeeping practical sessions,” says Pallavi.
