Asia’s First Clean & Green Village : Khonoma

Khonoma is India’s first green village situated near the Indo-Myanmar border, in the Indian state of Nagaland. This village has been tagged as a green village because of its green and clean nature and surroundings. The people of Khonoma believed and followed genuinely the saying, “Cleanliness is next to Godliness”. Still getting the award of ‘Green village’ in Asia was not so easy as the people of this village took hunting as their main profession and now one of the centuries-old settlements is regarded as the ‘First Green Village of Asia’.

Khonoma is a place that is surrounded by lush green mountains and landscapes and is a great place to enjoy the beauty of nature. This centuries-old village has a very low population and people here mostly practice agriculture and are farmers. The village has nearly 600 households and tourists from all parts of the world visit this place and experience staying in one of these households mainly run by the local people of the Angami tribe. No other place can be found in India as clean as Khonoma. The greenery of this village is the only thing that attracts people there.

How did Khonoma turn into a Green village?

A green village is mainly a place where people depend mainly on the natural resources available by making less or no use of artificial things. This village is basically a process of creating sustainable development and habitat where one can live in a pleasant and green environment. So, Khonama turned into a green village only after they were able to satisfy all the conditions that were needed to get the tag.

The first phase

The first step that Khonoma has taken in regard to earning the reward of the green village is that they created Khonoma Nature Conservation and Tragopan Sanctuary (KNCTS) in 1998 which made sure that no hunting and logging should take place in the lush green forest of Khonoma. With the ban on hunting, there began a shift in the lifestyle of the Angami tribe (locals of the village Khonoma) as Hunting used to be their sacred practice.

The second phase

The second step that the people of the village took was to start a campaign about the necessity of the forest and the wildlife living there. For this, they used to invite experts from outside to conduct educational workshops and speak to Khonoma’s residents regarding the importance of green landscapes, wildlife, birds, rivers, and so on. All these majestic creatures form an important part of nature which if hunted then the younger generation will not be able to witness the real beauty of nature.

The third phase

In the last step, the people of Khonoma succeeded in conserving the natural scenario of the village, and with this, they have been identified as a green village where extensive flora and fauna can be seen. Also, Khonoma became world-famous because of its forest conservation, ban on hunting, jhoom cultivation, construction technique, social infrastructure, and great history. The aim behind making Khonoma a green village is to set an example for all other model villages of Nagaland and other states for eco-tourism.

Conservation of Khonoma village

Khonoma is a village known for its popular green forest and landscape where one can see abundant flora and fauna spread over vast areas of land and the village is also surrounded by green slopes gliding down the beautiful terraces of the paddy fields.

Ecosystem of Khonoma

The ecosystem of Khonoma supports rich species of flora and fauna where one can see a wide variety of birds and wild animals. Also, the beautiful landscape of Khonoma supports the green ecosystem of the village by creating a home for numerous plant species, wild fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, and even natural dyes. Almost 200 species of birds can be found in the forest of Khonoma which also has India’s first community-led sanctuary known as Tragopan Sanctuary.

Green cultivation of Khonoma village

Khonoma is also famous for its extensive agriculture as the people of the village practiced farming and cultivation by using natural methods like using bullock carts, cow dung, and natural fertilizers. Shifting cultivation or Jhum cultivation is widely practised in Khonoma and in most places in north-eastern India. This type of cultivation leads to soil erosion and heavy water shortage because of here forest areas are cleared for agriculture so steps should be taken to shift to a more smart and friendly nature of cultivation without harming the green nature of Khonoma and other places as well.

Households of Khonoma village

The people of the village of Khonoma build their houses mostly with mud and bamboo. They also have rustic wooden houses with floors made of mud and walls made of bamboo. In the village, certain tombstones can also be found which adds charm to the enchanting beauty of Khonoma. The village is home to nearly 600 such households and the local Angami tribe also welcomes the tourists who visit their green village.

Angami tribe of Khonoma village

The Angami tribe are the locals of the Khonoma village who can be seen walking down the beautiful streets from a church on a hill by wearing patterned shawls. The village also has a large Catholic church that the local tribes visit every day or every Sunday for praying. This church also adds splendour to the beauty of Khonoma.

The Khonoma village has been declared a “Green village” which has also set an example for all the other villages of Nagaland when it comes to protecting the ecological heritage of the village to a great extent. And because of extensive deforestation in the late 1990s the people of Khonoma decided to completely ban hunting and cutting trees for wood which also helped in gaining popularity as not only the first and oldest green village in Asia but also a village with a wide number of flora and fauna. The people also protected the endangered resources of the village which also included its rich species and wildlife.

Apart from cultivation, the people of Khonoma village also make handmade shawls which are best known for their intricate design and thread quality and are very popular in north-east India as well as other places of India. Sweaters, bed sheets, and carpets are also made here but there are no retail shops in the village where they can sell these handmade products so those who want to buy these beautiful shawls and sweaters can buy them directly from the weavers.

Khonoma is, therefore, a village popular in all aspects be it cleanliness, the lush green nature, or the extensive agriculture and wildlife protection. In its truest sense, Khonoma deserves to be “Asia’s First Green Village”.