A Plastic-Free Mokokchung Starts with One Ward

Plastic pollution is no longer an abstract environmental issue. It is choking our drains, littering our landscapes, and quietly poisoning our soil and water. Mokokchung, like many towns across India, has seen firsthand how deeply plastic has embedded itself in daily life—from market bags and packaged goods to disposable cutlery and single-use wrappers.

But Mokokchung is also choosing to fight back.

With the District Planning and Development Board (DPDB) charting a roadmap to make Mokokchung Nagaland’s first plastic-free district, a timely and important question now arises: can one of the 18 municipal wards take the lead and become the district’s first plastic-free ward?

The answer must be yes—and it must be soon.

Creating a plastic-free ward is not just symbolic. It is a necessary, practical pilot—a model to test what works and what doesn’t, and to demonstrate that plastic reduction is not only possible, but scalable. Such a ward would need to commit to regular collection drives, promote segregation at source, discourage single-use plastics at the community level, and actively support local businesses in adopting alternatives.

Of course, this won’t be easy. Old habits die hard. Enforcement is tricky. Plastic remains cheap, convenient, and omnipresent. But Mokokchung has one key strength: community spirit. From women’s groups to student bodies, from churches to youth volunteers, the civic landscape is ripe for collaboration. If one ward steps up, others will follow.

What’s needed now is a clear call for volunteers and ward-level leadership. The Municipal Council must identify a willing ward—not necessarily the most perfect or prepared, but the most committed—and support it with focused infrastructure, awareness, and incentives.

The idea of a plastic-free Mokokchung will remain aspirational unless it is made visible and real. Let that visibility begin at the ward level. Let one neighbourhood become the face of what is possible.

Because when one ward breaks free from plastic, it becomes easier for a town to do the same. And when a town succeeds, a state can dream bigger.

Speaking at the inauguration of the Arok Kilem of Sungkomen Ward, Nagaland Advisor Tongpang Ozukum urged Sungkomen ward to become the first plastic-free ward. Can Sungkomen ward lead the way?

MT