Empty Villages, Crowded Towns

The steady migration from Nagaland’s villages to urban centers is no longer just a trend; it is a warning signal. This demographic shift, driven by economic necessity and compounded by a declining fertility rate, threatens the cultural, social, and economic fabric of rural life.

Nagaland’s fertility rate has dropped below the replacement level, meaning fewer children are being born to sustain village populations. At the same time, the lure of employment, education, healthcare, and modern amenities pulls the younger generation toward towns like Dimapur, Kohima, and Mokokchung. The result is a growing urban sprawl with strained infrastructure, and a quiet but persistent hollowing out of village communities.

The consequences are serious. When the youth leave, so does labor, innovation, and future leadership. Agriculture, once the backbone of the Naga economy, suffers from aging farmers and fallow fields. Traditional practices erode. Meanwhile, urban areas are stretched beyond capacity, leading to overcrowding, housing shortages, unemployment, and a myriad of problems associated with unsustainable growth and population explosion.

Reversing this drift requires more than nostalgia. It demands smart rural investment creating livelihood opportunities, improving digital and transport connectivity, and reimagining education and healthcare access in the hinterlands. Policies must be shaped not just to make villages habitable, but aspirational.

Nagaland’s future depends on a balance, where towns grow sustainably and villages thrive with dignity. Let’s not wait until the silence in the hills becomes irreversible.

This is not just a demographic issue; it is a policy failure. If villages continue to decline, the cultural and ecological balance of the state will be at risk. Nagaland’s strength has always come from its roots. Let us not allow them to dry up.

MT