Once you consider a clear and inexperienced place, what involves thoughts? A futuristic metropolis with high-tech waste administration? Perhaps a well-manicured park in an city neighbourhood? Surprisingly, a few of the cleanest, most sustainable locations in India aren’t in huge cities — they’re in villages. In these small communities, folks have come collectively to construct a lifestyle that’s not simply clear but in addition deeply related to nature.
They’ve banned plastic, embraced eco-friendly farming, and made cleanliness a day by day behavior — not as a result of anybody instructed them to, however as a result of they consider it’s the appropriate factor to do. Listed below are 5 villages which are proving that actual change begins at residence—one clear avenue, one recycled plastic bottle, and one neighborhood effort at a time.
1. Mawlynnong, Meghalaya
Tucked away close to the Meghalaya-Bangladesh border, Mawlynnong has earned its popularity as Asia’s cleanest village. But it surely’s not nearly spotless streets—cleanliness here’s a lifestyle, and it’s backed by an unbelievable 93.71% literacy fee.
How they did it
- A plastic-free mindset: Mawlynnong enforces a strict plastic ban. As an alternative of letting plastic pile up, villagers discover methods to repurpose it — no burning, no poisonous fumes.
- Cleanliness as a day by day behavior: Each villager right here takes lively duty to wash their environment. With teasel brooms in hand, they sweep away each final leaf.
- Sustainable building: Native supplies are used for building to maintain the village’s carbon footprint low, whereas each out there house is cultivated for vibrant flowers, including to its pure allure.
- Improved sanitation: To fight open defecation, Mawlynnong constructed each private and non-private bogs, making sanitation a precedence for all.
2. Baghuwar, Madhya Pradesh
Within the coronary heart of Madhya Pradesh’s Narsinghpur district, Baghuwar has set an unbelievable instance of how a village can take cost of its personal cleanliness and sustainability. The villagers don’t simply discuss cleanliness — they dwell it. Daily, they sweep the concrete streets, ensuring their environment keep spotless. The village additionally has a well-planned underground sewage system, which performs an enormous function in retaining hygiene ranges excessive.
How they achieved it
- Constructing bogs for all: Baghuwar turned open defecation-free (ODF) in 2007 — seven years earlier than the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan made it a nationwide precedence. The village ensured each residence had a bathroom and even constructed a neighborhood bathroom complicated for public gatherings.
- Group involvement: Conserving the village clear is a shared duty right here. From managing waste to constructing infrastructure, the folks of Baghuwar actively take part in cleanliness efforts.
- Good water administration: Instead of relying solely on exterior sources, the village invested in rainwater harvesting and water recycling. This has helped enhance groundwater ranges and even had a optimistic influence on the native local weather.
3. Sishunu Village, Nagaland
Sishunu village in Nagaland is proof {that a} sturdy neighborhood could make huge adjustments. The village isn’t simply clear; it’s additionally tobacco-free and plastic-free, setting a excessive commonplace for sustainable dwelling. Right here, no tobacco merchandise are allowed, and plastic waste is strictly managed. And the perfect half? This transformation was made doable with the assistance of funds from the Mahatma Gandhi Nationwide Rural Employment Assure Act (MGNREGA).
How they achieved it
- Tobacco-free initiative: Sishunu utterly banned the sale and consumption of tobacco merchandise throughout the village. Smoking and chewing tobacco are prohibited in faculties, workplaces, neighborhood halls, and even bus stops. A Tobacco Management Committee, made up of presidency officers, police, and village leaders, ensures that these guidelines are adopted.
- Plastic waste administration and disposal: Plastic use and public disposal are strictly banned. The village council actively enforces this, encouraging residents to change to sustainable options. However they didn’t cease there — plastic waste is now being repurposed for street building, serving to to scale back plastic air pollution whereas bettering infrastructure. An issue became a chance!
- No extra public dumping: Littering isn’t simply frowned upon — it comes with penalties. Strict guidelines forestall rubbish dumping in public areas, and waste segregation is obligatory. Those that don’t comply with the foundations face fines, guaranteeing that everybody performs their half in retaining the village clear.
- Farming the inexperienced means: Past cleanliness, Sishunu can also be main the way in which in sustainable farming. The village grows kiwi fruits, bananas, oranges, pomegranates, and papayas utilizing natural farming strategies, proving that eco-friendly agriculture is each doable and worthwhile.
4. Thuruthikkara, Kerala
Within the Ernakulam district of Kerala, Thuruthikkara has set a benchmark in sustainability, incomes the title of the state’s first licensed inexperienced village. This wasn’t an in a single day achievement — it was the results of a well-planned initiative known as the Oorja Nirmala Haritha Gramam mission.
Launched by the Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad (KSSP) in collaboration with native organisations, the mission centered on waste administration, vitality effectivity, water safety, and scientific farming.
How they achieved it
- Spreading consciousness and training: Sustainability begins with information. The village ensured that each one 349 households have been educated on environmental points by way of common consciousness periods. Consultants from the Cochin College of Science and Know-how (CUSAT) carried out coaching on secure ingesting water practices, guaranteeing long-term water safety.
- Sustainable waste administration: Thuruthikkara embraced a plastic-free, e-waste-free, and filament-free strategy. The village launched eco-friendly options like biogas crops, photo voltaic cookers, LED bulbs, and kitchen bins for correct waste segregation, making sustainability a lifestyle as a substitute of a job.
- Robust help system: Greater than only a neighborhood effort, this transformation was backed by a number of organisations, together with the Haritha Keralam Mission, Vitality Administration Centre Kerala, and Suchitwa Mission. Their technical and logistical help performed an important function in making Thuruthikkara a mannequin for different villages to comply with.
5. Majuli, Assam
Majuli, a panoramic island in Assam’s Jorhat district, isn’t simply recognized for its magnificence — it’s also a pioneer in progressive cleanliness practices. The folks of Majuli have adopted eco-friendly practices that minimise their carbon footprint whereas retaining their environment pristine.
How they achieved it
- Bamboo properties constructed for the long run: Majuli’s residents depend on bamboo to construct their properties — not simply because it’s conventional however as a result of it’s probably the most sustainable supplies out there. Bamboo is renewable, sturdy, and requires minimal vitality to supply, making it a great alternative for an eco-friendly way of life.
- A neighborhood that cleans collectively: Cleanliness isn’t only a observe in Majuli — it’s a lifestyle. The residents take an lively function in sustaining their environment, typically seen sweeping and tidying up their surroundings.
- Dwelling in concord with nature: The folks of Majuli comply with the precept of ‘Donyi Polo’ — a perception that people, animals, and nature are all interconnected. This philosophy is mirrored in the way in which they farm, construct, and work together with their land, guaranteeing that their way of life stays in steadiness with the surroundings.
India’s city areas can take a leaf out of those villages’ ebook, utilizing them as a blueprint for a cleaner, greener future. These communities didn’t await change—they turned the change. Their success proves that sustainability isn’t about huge insurance policies alone however about folks making aware decisions on daily basis. When cleanliness and environmental care grow to be a lifestyle, transformation follows.
Edited by Khushi Arora
