It is always assumed and taken for granted that total sanitation, scientific management of solid waste , disposal of construction and demolition waste and making any area waste and open defecation free, can only happen in the urban areas and all rural areas remain laggard in knowledge, expertise and experience in undertaking these tasks rationally and logically. Growing and operating under the shadow and guidance of Nav Yuvak Mandal, Mahila Mandals ‘Kala Jatha’, Akal University and Baru Sahib society, Village Lana Bhalta, a remote village of Sirmaur district of Himachal Pradesh, has proved it to be a myth an wrong, by earning a name and winning awards for cleanliness and recycling its waste at the national level. Village Lana Bhatta is credited to be first village free from garbage; with each household having a toilet constructed within the house; having a unique system of garbage collection; total recycling of all the solid/plastic waste collected and converting the waste including plastic into construction materials, to be used in the construction of the buildings.

1. 3. Unique Village- Village Lana Bhalta, Himachal Pradesh- Sanitation & Waste
Management
It is always assumed and taken for granted that total sanitation, scientific management of
solid waste , disposal of construction and demolition waste and making any area waste
and open defecation free, can only happen in the urban areas and all rural areas remain
laggard in knowledge, expertise and experience in undertaking these tasks rationally and
logically. Growing and operating under the shadow and guidance of Nav Yuvak Mandal,
Mahila Mandals ‘Kala Jatha’, Akal University and Baru Sahib society, Village Lana
Bhalta, a remote village of Sirmaur district of Himachal Pradesh, has proved it to be a
myth an wrong, by earning a name and winning awards for cleanliness and recycling its
waste at the national level.
Village Lana Bhatta is credited to be first village free from garbage; with each household
having a toilet constructed within the house; having a unique system of garbage
collection; total recycling of all the solid/plastic waste collected and converting the waste
including plastic into construction materials, to be used in the construction of the buildings.
Located amid the mountainous terrain of Himachal Pradesh, almost 50 km away from
Shimla, Village Lana Bhalta has emerged as a role model in waste management and
cleanliness in rural India. Lana Bhalta in Himachal Pradesh leads in sanitation and zero
waste management, evolving a a localised system to sift waste from water flowing out
of every kitchen into soak pits; and not a scrap of garbage or filthy water to be seen In
the village.

2. In all a total of 1,200 kg of garbage is generated on daily basis in the gram panchayat
area, which includes the Akal University, a nursing school and a residential school for
deprived children. In order to deal with this garbage and more that is generated by the
villages, the panchayat has set up a seamless collection and recycling system. A lorry is
deployed for garbage collection from the area which goes around the gram panchayat
on daily basis ,collecting garbage left by the villagers in jute bags. Workers armed with
masks and gloves sift through the items for sale or recycling. Almost all items from the
garbage bins are recycled. Raddi (wasted paper) is recycled into paper and stale; oily’
food into manure; oil-free waste like raw vegetables and left-over food find their way into
the vermicompost pit. Nothing is left unused. Waste from building material such as
stones, bricks and rubble is used for construction; while glass, tin, shoes, clothes and
toys are sold to trash buyers. Toxic waste is burnt in incinerators, while the entire garbage
is made bacteria free,”
Constructed through financial assistance provided by the state, each of the 333
households in the village, has a toilet besides having a sanitation kit that includes a toilet
brush, a jute bag for collecting garbage, a dust pan. Initiated by the village Panchayat,
this project has not only helped the community deal with their waste but also aided in
adopting sustainable construction practices. All the plastic and polythene collected is
recycled by using a unique method to transform plastic waste into bricks, bases and
interlocking tiles to be used for various construction projects across the
PanchayatsInitially people used to defecate in the open, in order to check this menace
of open defecation in the village; a team of 100 youngsters was created by Mandals for
campaigning, to sensitise villagers on role, importance and adoption of cleanliness.
The gram panchayat of Lana Bhalta, has come to be known for its focus on zero waste
management, achieved through an elaborate recycling exercise. Students of the nursing
school have also played an effective role in promoting culture of cleanliness and making
value addition to health and hygiene of the residents. Organising competitions on the
subject of cleanliness has led to creating awareness, while the art troupe has been using
various forms of art including the famous Sirmauri Nati (a local drama form) to educate
people about the role , relevance and importance of cleanliness. This culture of
cleanliness has also led to many villagers giving up smoking and drinking besides
eliminating many social evils.
 Note ;Above text is based on the narratives given in ; Barua Ananaya; Inspirational Rural
India; 20 Inspiring Villages Giving Life to India’s Vision for a Self-Reliant Future; January
26, 2022- for Inspirational Villages; The Hindu; Lana Bhalta in Himachal Pradesh leads
in sanitation and zero waste management; https://barusahib.org/story/the-hindu-
features-lana-bhalta-barusahib-for-being-the-leading-exemplary-in-sanitation-waste-
management/. Feb 3, 2016; Lana Bhalta Baru Sahib sets an exemplary for restoring
ecology in Himachal Pradesh;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1yKlZkfzd4