Why Residents of This Chhattisgarh Village Are Painting Their Houses Pink

With the Swachch Bharat movement gaining momentum across the country, this village in the Mahasamund district of Chhattisgarh is giving sanitation a new colour: pink

All 206 houses in Nanaksagar have been painted pink to denote that the families in them have built – and use – toilets.

Image for representation only. Source: Wikimedia, Flickr

Explains the Chief Executive Officer of Nanaksagar, Chandra Prakash Patra “It all started when we organised awareness campaigns in the village. The village head decided that he will make sure all houses have toilets. They started this thing that all the houses which have toilets will be coloured in pink so that it becomes easy to recognise which house needs one. The village had some 50 houses with toilets and now it’s all pink”

Suvardhan Pradhan, the village head also announced a fine of Rs. 500 for anyone defecating in the open, a rule that has so far not been violated.

Pradhan told The Times of India that it was not all smooth-sailing. “I started cleaning the roads myself. When people felt embarrassment, they joined me. I create awareness for hygiene and cleanliness. In a year’s time, around 150 people got new toilets, that too without any government aid. Earlier, just 25 per cent houses had toilets,” he said.

These are not the only steps the village has taken towards a better tomorrow. The villagers have also planted several trees and every house has at least a dozen plants at its door.

Featured image for representation only. Source: Wikimedia, Flickr

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