CHR Desk | June 1
In 2020, when Super Cyclone Amphan struck the coast of India, Suchitra Jana, a 28-year-old resident of Khetramohanpur village in West Bengal, sought refuge at a government shelter along with her family. Little did she know that her ordeal would extend far beyond the duration of the cyclone. After spending 20 days in the cramped school-turned-shelter, Jana discovered that she had developed a vaginal infection.
“The infection lasted for 6-7 months. I had a severe burning sensation and a strong odor which was very uncomfortable to bear,” Jana told DW News. The shelter, housing around 800 people, had only four toilets, forcing both men and women to use the same facilities. Jana described the toilets as filthy, and accessing water was a significant challenge as there was just one tubewell for all the shelter residents.
During her menstruation, Jana faced additional difficulties. Unable to obtain sanitary napkins and lacking a suitable place to wash or dry cloth pieces, she resorted to using cloth for days on end. “We used to first stand in line for water and then for using the toilets. It used to take hours of our day,” she recalled.
Mamu Das, a 32-year-old resident of Assam’s Nagaon district, faced similar challenges during the devastating floods that wreaked havoc across several districts in 2022. As her family lost their livelihoods, she struggled to afford sanitary napkins. “I used to take sanitary napkins from shopkeepers as borrowings,” Das shared.
Natural disasters like floods and cyclones often result in mass displacements, and the needs of women’s menstrual health are often overlooked during such calamities. “At health camps during natural disasters, chronic diseases take priority, so women usually don’t bring up issues related to menstrual health management,” explained Sobhan Mukherjee, a menstrual health activist.
Women residing in shelter camps face numerous challenges, including limited access to toilets, sanitary napkins, and an increased risk of infections. “Due to the stress of the calamity, women’s menstrual cycles also stop suddenly. Sometimes, they end up skipping their periods for months,” said Dr. Basab Mukherjee, vice president of the Bengal Obstetric and Gynaecological Society. He further highlighted that the rate of urinary tract infections and vaginal infections tends to rise after disasters like cyclones and floods, as women struggle to maintain proper menstrual hygiene.
Climate change exacerbates these challenges for women. A study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health suggests that climate change may impact women by altering the timing of menarche, the first menstruation. The United Nations has also highlighted that extreme weather events linked to climate change disproportionately affect women and hinder their daily tasks.
“In Indian communities, it is usually the women who are left behind in climate-vulnerable zones as men leave in search of jobs. The women have to deal with the daily logistics which are greatly impacted by climate change,” explained Megha Desai of the Desai Foundation, an NGO working for menstrual equity.
India’s eastern coast, highly prone to tropical cyclones, has experienced a rise in their intensity in recent years, attributed to climate change. Amphan, a category 5 cyclone that struck India’s coastline in 2020, resulted in the evacuation of over 2.4 million people, according to the Geneva-based Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre. In May, Amphan caused nearly five million evacuations across Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, and Bhutan, making it the largest disaster displacement event globally that year.
“With increased temperatures, the moisture-holding capacity of the atmosphere has increased, allowing cyclones to retain their energy for longer periods,” explained Uma Charan Mohanty, a meteorologist and emeritus professor at the School of Earth, Ocean and Climate Sciences at the Indian Institute of Technology in Bhubaneswar.
Assam, prone to floods, is home to 15 of India’s most climate-vulnerable districts. Rising temperatures have caused erratic patterns of rainfall, resulting in frequent floods. “We are also seeing more erratic patterns of rainfall because of rising temperatures, which are the reason behind frequent floods,” Mohanty added.
The struggles faced by women like Suchitra Jana and Mamu Das highlight the urgent need to address menstrual health challenges during natural disasters. Adequate sanitation facilities, improved access to menstrual products, and comprehensive healthcare support are crucial to ensure the well-being and dignity of women in times of crisis. As climate change continues to impact vulnerable regions, concerted efforts are required to protect and uplift women facing the double burden of disasters and menstrual health challenges.
Credit: DW News Asia
