Mawlynnong is a village in the East Khasi Hills district of the Meghalaya state in North East India. It is notable for its cleanliness.
Mawlynnong is known for its cleanliness. The waste is collected in the dustbins made of bamboo, directed to a pit and then used as manure. A community initiative mandates that all residents should participate in cleaning up the village. Smoking and use of polythene is banned while rainwater harvesting is encouraged.
The travel magazine Discover India declared the village as the cleanest in Asia in 2003, and the cleanest in India in 2005. This reputation has boosted local tourism; in 2017 NPR reported that, according to the village headsman, incomes had increased by 60 percent due to increased tourism.
The concrete road cutting through the village will take you past small wooden houses with colourful gardens, unravelling why Mawlynnong is known as the cleanest village not only in India, but also in Asia. The village is made up of around 80 households, a majority of which are on a mission to keep the village spotlessly clean. There are bamboo baskets tied to trees outside every house to prevent people from littering. All this waste is collected in a pit, and later used as manure. Residents take turns to clean the roads, which are lined with creepers and flowering plants. Littering is a punishable offence and plastic has been completely banned in the village.
Picture Credit : Google
